Dark Wizards of the 20th Century
by StrawberryPajamas
Summary: Whispers follow him in the halls, staring occurs during mealtimes... but Albus Potter has no clue why they do this. Only during a mind-numbing History of Magic lesson does the truth about his father's past really come out. Features Albus as well as some original characters... don't knock it before you try it! Now complete
1. Chapter 1

**Saturday**

**October 26th **

**12:43 pm**

The sun shone through a clear blue sky over the frosted treetops of the Forbidden Forest, the frozen lake glinting in the sunlight. The October sun hit the walls and windows of an enormous castle standing on the edge of the lake, its many turrets and towers stretching up toward the sky. Inside the building, students and teachers alike lounged around on this crisp, autumn weekend, savoring the warmth of the common room fires retained by the thick stone walls of the castle.

Three students in particular were wandering sedately down a corridor toward the Great Hall for lunch…

"For goodness _sake_, Benjamin! – stop _doing_ that with your hair!"

Ben Staglovich grinned at Kyra Dobsen, who was frowning heavily at the way Ben had swept his long, brown hair away from his eyes. Two passing girls giggled, staring raptly at him.

"If it bothers you," Ben swept his long bangs the other way, causing half of his face to be obscured by hair. Albus Potter, who was walking beside his two friends, laughed, but Kyra rolled her eyes. Ben's long hair had always been a major pet peeve of hers.

"Seriously, Ben, it looks awful – honestly, does he think it's cool?" Kyra added to Albus, who shrugged.

"Hark who's talking," Ben retorted, eyeing his friend's purple specs, "Hey Kyra, I think Rita Skeeter wants her glasses back."

Al laughed, but Kyra looked quite unabashed.

The trio reached the Great Hall just as Rose Weasley and her friends were walking out. Rose grinned at Albus and his friends – Ben smiled back at Rose, who blushed scarlet.

Albus waited until Rose and her group of chattering girls were gone before he groaned to his friend, "Seriously Ben – do you have to flirt with my _cousin_? It's weird enough with every single girl in the school being madly in love with you."

Kyra cleared her throat loudly and pointedly. Ben ignored her.

"Rose isn't in love with me, mate." He shook his head disbelievingly, "She just idealizes me… and who can blame her? Actually, I think she's a lot keener on –"

"Don't you _dare_ bring that up again, Staglovich," Kyra quickly cut him off, causing the other two boys to laugh. "Rose Weasley is _not_ in love with my big brother, okay?"

"Oh, I dunno Kyra," Al chuckled. "She _is _always asking me about him…"

"…_And_ I heard her ask you if Kendall is coming with us to the Potter's for Christmas." Ben added, peering over at Kyra. She scowled.

"Well, he's not, so she can just bugger off," Kyra muttered grumpily. Al and Ben grinned at each other.

The three had just reached the Gryffindor table and had sat down for lunch when there was a small scuffle and an outbreak of girlish giggling from the Hufflepuff table behind them. Al, figuring they were another batch of Ben's admirers, ignored them… that is, until one of them approached him.

"Hi, are you Albus Potter?" A third-year girl with very curly red hair and dimples walked up to him and stuck out her hand. "My friend Marie told me you were him. I'm Stephaney. Stephaney Scott."

"Oh, er… hello," Al shook her proffered hand, slightly surprised. Why did it matter who he was?

"Is your father really Harry Potter?" Stephaney suddenly said very breathlessly, her hazel eyes bright and expectant, her brow raised hopefully. Al stared at her.

"Oh… well – his name is Harry and his last name is Potter…"Al said slowly, uncomfortably aware of Stephaney's gaze boring imploringly into his. What on earth was going on? But before Albus could explore Stephaney's odd interest in his family, she was dragged away by her other Hufflepuff friends, who were all giggling so much it ought to have been fined.

"What was that all about?" Ben frowned over at the group of girls.

"Dunno," Kyra turned back to her plate of food, looking unconcerned. "Girls are idiots, everyone knows that."

"_You're_ a girl," Ben pointed out, also turning back to his steak and kidney pie.

"So? Doesn't mean we're not idiots," Kyra shrugged, taking a big bite of shepherd's pie. Ben snorted.

Albus slowly turned around to face his table again, frowning to himself. The weird thing was that that wasn't the first time someone showed unnatural interest in his father. When he had first come to Hogwarts, children would constantly whisper as he passed, the words 'Harry' and 'son' just audible, or else would point him out to their friends when they saw him. About a week ago, a painting of a strange knight in a tower room started shouting jubilantly the moment he noticed Albus: "Why, it is the noble Harry Potter's offspring! He who defeated the Un-Named One - a fine quest a young yeoman never saw! Huzzah, for the Brave Conqueror, Huzzah!" Only a few days ago, a second-year Slytherin named Sebastian Nott came up to Albus and accused Albus' father of destroying _his_ father after the war. "_What_ war?" Albus kept saying angrily until he was saved by a passing Professor McGonagall, who broke up the argument and told them sternly to go back to their common rooms.

Kyra and Ben were of no help. They kept insisting that Albus was imagining the people whispering about him, that Sir Cadogan was a known nut-job, and that Nott was from Slytherin, therefore mean and untrustworthy by default. James, with whom Al had also spoken to, admitted that he had had a weird feeling of people talking about him behind his back too when he first came to school.

"But it'll die down," James had assured his little brother. "The kids'll get used to having you around, and the staring will stop."

"_Why_ though?" Al had asked, grimacing in frustration. "Why do they talk about us in the first place?"

"Search me," James had shrugged, pulling a Chocolate Frog out of his pocket and opening it. "But I'm not complaining… loads of people know me, and my status with the older kids is definitely better than most." He smirked, stuffing the Frog in his mouth and tucking the card into his pocket. Al had rolled his eyes before leaving his brother alone beside the common room fire…

"Al?" Kyra asked now, pulling on the sleeve of his robe. "Al? You still with us?"

"Yeah," Albus shook his head slightly before turning to face her. "Yeah. Sorry, I was just thinking about what that girl said."

"I dunno why you pay any attention to it, Al," Ben said, shaking his head. "It's stupid the way some people here act…"

"Hi Ben," a nearby voice suddenly cooed. A pretty Ravenclaw girl passing by gave Ben a dewy smile and wiggled her fingers at him cutely. Ben grinned back, causing Al and Kyra to roll their eyes at each other.

Twenty minutes later, the three kids made their way into the entrance hall. Ben told Albus and Kyra about an idea he had of visiting Hagrid in his cabin for the day, and they readily agreed. They all trouped back upstairs to grab their cloaks and scarves.

While they were walking along the third floor corridor, and Ben and Kyra began bickering about Ben's hair again, Albus noticed two Hufflepuff second-years pass them in the opposite direction. One of the boys, when he had spotted Albus, quickly nudged his friend and whispered urgently into his ear, his eyes fixed solely upon Albus.

Al pretended not to have seen this, and decided not to mention it to his friends; after all, they still believed the whispers about him to be a figment of his imagination.

Sometimes, he could not help but wish to believe it too.


	2. Chapter 2

**Severly-Cumberbatched: **I'm glad you kind of like this I hope you enjoy this new update!

**Hanalei: **Thanks! I hope you like this next chapter just as well!

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. Maybe one day…**

* * *

**Friday**

**November 1****st**

**11:55 a.m.**

"Kyra, you just need a _pinch_ of dragon dung. Stop dumping the whole bucket on it," Al rolled his eyes.

Kyra glanced down, and noticed a great deal more fertilizer than she intended was cascading down from her bucket, smothering her Pygmy Plant. She quickly brought the bucket back up, and set it on the trestle table she was sharing with Al and Ben.

"I can fix that," she said unconcernedly, grabbing a nearby trowel and scooping the excess dung out of the plant pot and back into the bucket. Ben and Albus shook their heads – Kyra never really put much effort in at all during class, yet she still had that uncanny ability to pass all her homework assignments with considerably good marks. Al and Ben often couldn't help but feel a little jealous.

"Three minutes, kids!" Professor Longbottom called to the Gryffindor and Hufflepuff first-years gathered in his Herbology class. "Finish repotting your Pygmy Plants, and don't forget to hand in your papers on the proper defense against Puffapods."

"Thank God," Ben sighed, tossing his trowel aside and brushing his hands clean. Ben hated Herbology, probably because the dirty work involved always made him look messy for the rest of the day. Kyra smirked at Al, who smiled back, knowing what was about to come.

Kyra carefully picked up her newly-refilled bucket of dragon dung.

"Hey Ben, could you –? OH!" Kyra turned toward Ben and "accidentally" tripped, causing the contents of the bucket to dump all over the front of Ben's robes. Ben jumped back, looking positively stricken.

"Hey, what're you –!" he shouted, but too late: dragon dung spilled all down the front of his robes, and his neck, hands, and chin were doused in the dark brown muck. Al snickered, but Ben looked about ready to kill.

"Oops," Kyra said, unable to hide a small grin.

"KYRA!" Ben bellowed, lunging toward her.

Kyra dodged him, throwing the bucket aside, now laughing her head off. Albus began to laugh as well – it was always funny to watch Ben lose his cool, especially over trifling matters like dirt. After several moments of grappling, Ben got ahold of Kyra from behind by pulling her into a headlock. He then took his other dirt-covered hand and smeared it all over Kyra's face.

"How do you like _that_, huh?"

"Ew, Ben! Stop it!" Kyra screeched, squirming to get away from the hand.

"Break it up, you two. Come on," Professor Longbottom said firmly, walking over toward them and, with Albus' help, pried them apart. "You guys are making a huge mess."

"She started it," Ben threw a dirty look at Kyra, who made a face right back at him.

"I don't care – just clean this up or it'll be ten points from Gryffindor," Longbottom said in a tone that expressed to Kyra and Ben that they ought to do what they're told. They obligingly began to clean the dragon dung off themselves and off the floor where it spilled, while Al and the rest of the class washed up and handed in their papers. Al then lagged behind, waiting for his two friends to finish up, before they all trekked their way up to the castle for lunch.

~/~

One of the strange things about eleven-year-old children is that they can argue and bicker and fight all day long, but at the end of the day they will go on with their lives as normal as ever. Indeed, by the time the three kids reached the Great Hall, Kyra and Ben were now talking quite cheerfully of the Gryffindor Quidditch team's prospects on their upcoming game against Hufflepuff, as if their little scuffle in Herbology had never occurred.

"Jeremy Ronsen's got a strong arm," Ben said to Kyra as she and Al sat on either side of him at the Gryffindor table. "And Hufflepuff's got that Petie Fletcher captaining – we've totally got this one in the bag."

"But our Seeker's that complete wanker Jordan Reemer," Kyra countered, pulling a tureen of peas toward her and spooning some onto her plate. "I heard he cost our House the Cup last year. And Hufflepuff's brought in last year's reserve, Cassandra Collins – apparently she's like a young Shurik Annushka."

"That's what I heard too… Kevin Greeley told me she managed to catch the Snitch during practice last week in ten seconds flat."

"Yeah, I hope Jeremy and the other Gryffindor players are up for it. If Reemer can get his head on properly, I'd say we've still got a good shot at winning…"

Albus, though tempted to join in, chose instead to just listen to their conversation, and for many minutes, he merely ate his dinner of porkchops and potatoes while watching his two friends speak animatedly about their favorite sport.

Kyra Dobsen and Ben Staglovich were Al's two best friends here at Hogwarts – though he got along fairly well with the other kids in his class, not to mention his brother and extended family, at the end of the day it was always Kyra and Ben he stood by.

Al watched as Kyra began talking excitedly about her favorite Quidditch team, the Falmouth Falcons, who just won their match against the Chudley Cannons. He found it interesting that Kyra was such an avid fan of Quidditch – she had been raised by Muggle parents, and had no idea that Quidditch even existed until she came to Hogwarts. Indeed, during her short time here, she had grown very much attached to the sport, and consistently challenged the boys of their year to debates about Quidditch fouls, which almost always ended in her favor. In fact, the only other person who seemed to love Quidditch more than Kyra was Ben.

Kyra laughed as Ben did a cruel but accurate impression of their Seeker Reemer, who tended to swat at the Snitch like a pesky fly rather than actually catch it. Ben positively adored Quidditch, and other than his narcissistic tendencies, this was pretty much all his friends knew about him. Ben Staglovich was an interesting case, Al and Kyra knew – he actually had not begun attending Hogwarts until the beginning of October. From what they understood, Ben had a very strict wizard father named Aengus, who reveled in the Dark Arts and had forced Ben, his only child, to go to Durmstrang. But his mother, Mallory, had soon after left her husband, pulled Ben out of that school only a couple weeks into term, and sneaked him out of the country. She had made a special deal with McGonagall, and Ben was now able to study here at Hogwarts. Ben had admitted all this to Al and Kyra several weeks after his arrival, soon after the three children became friends, but never gave them any of the details of what had transpired...

"Yo, Al!"

Albus jumped slightly when he realized Kyra was waving to get his attention. "Sorry, what?"

"Daydream, much? C'mon – time for History of Magic," she hopped to her feet, happy at the prospect of the final class before the weekend being so close at hand.

"Plenty of time for daydreaming then, eh?" Ben chuckled, getting to his feet as well. Albus smirked.

"Definitely," Al stood up, grabbing his bag.

"C'mon, then," Ben slung an arm around his best friend's neck, pulling him to his side. Next moment, Kyra squeezed herself between the two, wrapping her arms around their waists. They all laughed, and together began to make their way out of the Great Hall toward their final class of the week.

* * *

**A/N: I ****realize this chapter was more of a character profile for my beloved OCs and their friendship with Al, but I hope you guys don't mind too much… rest assured, the story will pick up next chapter!**

**Please read and review! I promise every new reviewer will be given a little shoutout from me :) **


	3. Chapter 3

**Hanalei: **I'm glad you're still enjoying this story! Rest assured, plenty more is to come.

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of its characters except Kyra and Ben.**

* * *

**Friday**

**November 1st**

**1:37 p.m. – History of Magic Class**

"Stop it, Ben. That's cheating!"

"What? No it's not – look, there was no 'D' so I drew him a leg…"

"You drew him a ridiculously _long_ leg – now he can't get hanged, he'll just stand right up."

"Oh, please… it's hardly longer than the leg _you_ drew on him the game before."

"Are you kidding? It's at least twice that size!"

Albus, Kyra and Ben were all sitting at the same desk in History of Magic – after the first few minutes of class, the latter two had become bored, so they decided to play a game of wizard hangman. Al was meant to play Kyra after this game, but at the rate she and Ben were playing, it would be a while before he got his turn.

"Okay, fine. Here, I'll erase it, look…"

"Nice try, Staglovich – I see the invisible ink!"

"What? No you don't – it's _invisible_."

Albus sighed inaudibly – though Kyra and Ben nearly always made him laugh, their constant whispered arguing could get a bit tiresome after a while.

"…And in 1945, the dark sorcerer Gellert Grindelwald dueled with the wizard Albus Dumbledore…" Professor Binns droned from the front of the classroom. Al listened to him with no expectation of enjoyment. He was so bored at the moment, he hardly knew if he would even live to see the end of class…

"Got it! It's 'Philosopher's Stone', isn't it?"

"No – that's about ten letters too long, dingbat."

"Oh…"

Albus' eyes wandered around the classroom – most of his classmates looked about as dead as him. A few students towards the back were playing another game of wizard hangman, and one kid, Jeremy Frenkle, was getting bits of parchment tossed at his head by some snickering boys. Like always, Professor Binns was completely oblivious to all that went on in his classroom.

"…Grindelwald remained in the fortress Nuremgard until his death in 1998…"

A group of girls were whispering nearby, and Ben didn't seem to notice, except that he kept casually running a hand through his long hair, making it look windswept and cool. The girls giggled whenever he did this, and Al rolled his eyes. Kyra suddenly and inexplicably elbowed Ben in the ribs.

"Ouch! Stop it, Kyra."

"What? I didn't do anything."

"You hit me on purpose, I saw you!"

"You can't prove it…"

Knowing his two friends would be a few more minutes bickering, Albus decided to lay his head down on the desk, burying his face in his arms. He closed his eyes, hoping to take a quick nap before class ended.

"…Albus Dumbledore, two months after his duel with Gellert Grindelwald, became the headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry…"

Al smirked to himself. Albus Dumbledore, he knew, was the man he himself was named after; the man his dad had told him all about: one of the greatest headmasters in Hogwarts history. For the first time ever in this classroom, Al was listening to Professor Binns with mild interest.

"…Several years after his appointment to headmaster, another dark wizard by the name of Lord Voldemort came into control, the exact date unknown. Lord Voldemort's first dominion of power lasted approximately thirty-six years, until he was thwarted by Harry Potter at age one…"

It took a moment for Professor Binns' words to penetrate Albus' brain – he brought his head up out of his arms and stared at his teacher, frowning.

_What did he just say_?

"… The means of this defeat are still unknown," Professor Binns went on, unrelenting. "Some accounts have speculated that, after his defeat, Lord Voldemort took refuge in the Black Forest of Albania, and had stayed hidden there for approximately fourteen years…"

Nobody but Albus seemed to care what Binns had to say; he continued to listen with utmost attention, hardly daring to believe what he heard.

_My father defeated a dark wizard when he was just one year old_?

"… On June 24th, 1995, Lord Voldemort gained his power back through means of a self-made potion that required several human sacrifices. His second dominion of power lasted approximately three years. On May 2nd, 1998, at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Lord Voldemort was once again defeated, this time completely, by Harry Potter at the age of seventeen…"

Albus' heart was pounding, and his ears seemed to buzz with this information. Surely, this had to be a mistake. There was no way his father had _killed_ anyone, even if that man had been an evil sorcerer. This all seemed too strange, too unreal… to think that his father had twice defeated the evil wizard named Lord Voldemort, just like his namesake had defeated that Grindelwald guy!

"'Phoenix'! Ha, I knew I'd get the answer in the end – and you said I couldn't do it!"

"Oh please – I practically _gave_ you that answer."

"You did not! I just have excellent intuition."

"Whatever," Kyra rolled her eyes. "Okay Al, we're up…"

She turned to face Albus on her other side, but stopped at the sight of his expression.

"Al?"

The bell rang at that moment, and the sudden rush of students scrabbling to grab their book bags and to be the first to bolt out of the classroom soon distracted from any response Albus might have given.

**To Be Continued**

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**A/N: Reviews are much loved and appreciated :)**


	4. Chapter 4

**Kaylzzie: **Thank you! And I agree they are like our beloved trio (though I like to think Ben as more of a young Sirius Black haha).

**Loves to read books: **Never fear – the update is here! :)

**Guest: **I understand how you'd see that – in fact, I at first liked to believe Harry would have delighted his kids with thrilling tales about his childhood fighting evil and defeating Voldemort. However, after reading the seventh book again, I noticed a line in the epilogue that seemed to indicate that Harry had actually NOT told his children who he was: "A great number of faces, both on the train and off, seemed to be turned toward Harry. 'Why are they all _staring_?' demanded Albus as he and Rose craned around to look at the other students. 'Don't let it worry you', said Ron. 'It's me. I'm extremely famous'" (page 759 American version). Here, I think, JK Rowling is showing the reader that Harry (as well as Ron and Hermione) chose not to tell their kids about their past, either out of modesty or perhaps out of respect for the children's young age, I have no idea.  
But still… even if you don't see things the way I do, it's alright! Haha I appreciate your insightful review all the same:) Thanks again!

**Hanalei: **Thank you! I appreciate you being a faithful reviewer to my story – I hope you enjoy this update! :)

* * *

**Saturday**

**November 2****nd**

**7:17 a.m. – Gryffindor common room**

"Let me get this straight…" Ben said slowly, looking carefully at his friend. "Professor Binns mentioned your dad in class yesterday – said he had defeated some Dark wizard person or something…" he looked positively incredulous: "– and you take it upon yourself to _research_ about it in the _library_?"

"I'm still shocked he was even paying attention in that class," Kyra marveled.

"Look," Al said impatiently, setting his tall stack of library books on the table in front of them. Luckily, the common room was empty this early in the morning, so Albus felt he could talk freely to his friends. "That's not the issue, here. All my life, my dad has never mentioned _once_ that he defeated the greatest dark wizard in history!"

"'In history'?" Kyra looked skeptical. "C'mon, isn't that going a bit far? I'm sure there have been plenty of bad wizards over the years – what makes this 'Lord Voldermore' so terrible, anyway?"

But Al had already begun paging through one of his books: _Darkest Wizards, Witches, and Sorcerers throughout the Ages_. "There," he shoved the open book in front of her face. He pointed to a highlighted passage, and Kyra and Ben read:

"…_No Dark wizard's reign exceeded the evil demonstrated by Tom Marvolo Riddle, who had later changed his title to 'Lord Voldemort'. The killing and torturing of innocent people, both magical and non-magical, executed by Lord Voldemort and his followers (i.e. Death Eaters) was to such a degree that a majority of the wizarding world feared to even speak his name…" _

"There are whole chapters in here dedicated to outlining all the evil things Lord Voldemort had done –" Albus explained, flipping through _Dark Sorcerers and Their Crimes_. "He murdered some of the greatest witches and wizards of the day: the Prewetts, the McKinnons, Emmeline Vance, Alastor Moody… and here –" Al dragged out a large volume which looked relatively new: _Dark Wizards of the 20__th__ Century – The Rise and Fall of the Most Evil Wizards of Our Time_ by Xenophilius Lovegood. "I've been reading through this, and it explains _exactly_ what my dad had done to defeat Voldemort, and the impact it had on the entire wizarding world!"

Al had finished speaking, and there was a short pause. Kyra and Ben glanced at each other.

"This is the most research I've ever seen you do," Ben observed to Al. Kyra laughed.

Al couldn't help but grin slightly as he set the book down, "I know, but I can't help it. I feel like I've been kept in complete ignorance about this, you know?" He moved over and sat down in a nearby armchair. "But this explains everything… people _have_ been talking behind my back. But they're not talking about _me_: they're just fascinated with my dad, because they know who he is and what he's done."

"Well, if he's done all that, how come I've never heard of him?" Kyra frowned.

"You're Muggle-born, aren't you? You haven't grown up knowing about famous wizarding names and stuff, so that's not so surprising."

"Well, what about…"

Kyra trailed off, and she and Al glanced over at Ben, who looked up at them. Albus and Kyra knew that Ben's childhood was always a sensitive topic with him, especially when it regarded his father.

Ben thankfully spoke up: "I never heard anything about Al's dad killing some evil wizard either. My mum's Muggle-born, and…" he hesitated. "… well, no one else was really around to tell me much stuff about the wizarding world when I was a kid."

There was a slightly awkward pause following this, which Al eventually broke: "I'm not blaming you guys or anything for not knowing about my dad, but I just can't understand why he never bothered to mention it to me or James or anyone before."

"Perhaps he had mentioned it while you just weren't listening," Kyra shrugged.

"Yeah – it seems a bit weird that your dad never told you something that major," Ben agreed.

"Maybe…" Al frowned to himself, thinking. He wasn't going to drop this anytime soon, he was sure. He sighed, and then got to his feet. "C'mon, we should go get some breakfast."

~/~

Due to the still-early hour, the Great Hall was relatively empty when the three children had reached it. Most of the teachers were seated at the head table, however, and a fair number of Ravenclaw students sat at their table, among them Rose Weasley. She noticed Al right as he walked in, and waved at him, grinning. Albus smiled back, and the trio walked over to join her.

As they neared the table, they noticed a tall, blonde second-year boy eating breakfast with Rose. Kyra's face darkened when she saw him.

"Go away, Kendall – no one wants you here," Kyra snapped as she, Al, and Ben approached them. The boy looked up at his little sister.

"You can't kick me off my own table," he said, taking a piece of toast. "What are _you _doing here anyway?"

"What does it look like? I'm having _breakfast_," Kyra emphasized this by plopping herself down in the seat opposite Rose.

"Whatever," Kendall grabbed a second piece of toast, said goodbye to Rose, and promptly left.

Rose was silent as Kendall walked away – she then turned to Kyra, looking furious. "Why do you always have to _do_ that? Kendall's nice!"

"No he's not – he's a stupid toe-rag," Kyra said casually as Al and Ben took seats on either side of her. "Here's a bit of advice, Rose: stay away from that boy."

"You can't tell me what to do," Rose's cheeks turned red. "And I can look after myself, thank you very much!"

"Yeah, Kyra, leave Rose alone. She can hang out with your brother if she wants," Al reasoned, tipping kippers and sausages onto his plate. "It's not like they're going to get married or anything, right?"

Rose's face went, if possible, even redder. Kyra merely shrugged, turning her attention to the bowl of porridge in front of her and dropping the matter. Rose rolled her eyes before turning to face her cousin:

"So, what's up Al?" she frowned. "You guys normally don't eat breakfast with us Ravenclaws..."

"Al found out something interesting about his dad yesterday," Ben supplied, and Rose raised her eyebrows.

"Uncle Harry?" she glanced between Ben and Albus. "What's wrong with him?"

"Nothing… look –" Al leaned in closer, and said in a slightly quieter voice: "Has your dad ever said anything about my dad? Like, has he talked to you or Hugo about when they grew up together or anything?"

Rose thought for a moment. "No, actually – he and mum don't really talk much about that sort of stuff."

Ben and Albus exchanged glances.

Rose looked curious, "Why do you ask?"

"Because Harry Potter is –" Kyra began, but Al quickly cut her off:

"– a really good Quidditch player," he said firmly, silencing his friend. "Yeah, uh, I found his name the other day in the trophy room – apparently he was the youngest Seeker to make the Gryffindor House Team in over a century…"

"Yeah, well, Aunt Ginny could've told you _that_," Rose giggled sardonically. "She must've told me and Hugo that story of the rogue Bludger a hundred times at least."

"Really? Oh, well, I never knew…" Albus lied. He, of course, knew all about his father's Quidditch talent, but it was clear that Rose had no idea about Lord Voldemort or anything of that nature related to his father. Al wasn't prepared to reveal that her parents had been lying to her as well.

"Okay, well, if that's all…" Rose said, getting to her feet. She said a hasty goodbye to each of them, grabbed a piece of toast, and hurried off in the direction of her common room.

"She's just going to go look for Kendall," Kyra watched Rose's retreating figure, scrunching her nose. "What she sees in that idiot I'll never know…"

"Why do you have to be so hard on him?" Ben asked her as the three stood up to leave. "Kendall seems like a perfectly decent bloke to me…"

Kyra gave a humorless laugh. "Oh, you don't know my brother like I do. Trust me – Rose would do better to just leave him alone."

"Hey, Kyra!"

The three turned, and noticed a fellow first-year girl with dark black hair and a pale, heart-shaped face sitting at the Gryffindor table. Lucy Hayward waved and grinned at Kyra, while Kyra smiled and waved back.

"I'll catch you guys up," she said to Al and Ben as she headed over to the Gryffindor table toward her friend. The boys, who were used to sharing Kyra with Lucy, had already begun to walk back up to the common room alone.

"… So why didn't you tell Rose about your dad defeating that Lord Voldemort guy?" Ben asked Al quietly as they trekked up the marble staircase. "I'm sure she could've told us something about the matter."

Albus sighed. "You know, I don't think she could've – my dad didn't even tell me, so why should he tell it to her? And I didn't want to be the one to break it to her that our parents have been lying to us…"

"Oh, come on," Ben shook his head. "Whatever reasons your parents had for not telling you about this, I'm sure they thought it was for the best…"

"I know," Albus said, rather dejectedly, as they reached the portrait of the Fat Lady.

One day, he hoped to believe it too.

* * *

**A/N: It is in my own personal cannon that Rose Weasley is in Ravenclaw, and if you guys don't like it, I dub thee a Slytherin!**

**(No, I don't. Honestly. Lighten up, people.) **

**Anyway, Please Review!:)**


	5. Chapter 5

**Alex: **Wow, three reviews – thank you so much! Yeah, I love Albus: I've always pictured him as sort of a mini-Harry haha. Also I've always imagined Rose being a Ravenclaw since the end of the seventh book, and I was actually thinking about Hermione's Sorting too when I wrote that last chapter, so that's pretty cool!:)

**Hanalei: **Thank you again Hanalei! You're awesome – this next chapter's for you :)

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

* * *

**Monday**

**November 4****th**

**8:44 a.m. – Great Hall**

"Ben, pass the marmalade."

"I can't – I'm using it."

"No you're not, you're eating eggs."

"Well, I'm going to have piece of toast, too," Ben said, quickly grabbing the marmalade out of Kyra's reach just as she lunged for it. Kyra glared at him.

"Don't mess with me, Staglovich," she warned, snatching a piece of bacon off Ben's plate before he could stop her. She took a triumphant bite, tearing a large chunk off with her teeth and chewing it obnoxiously. Albus laughed, but Ben looked disgusted.

"That's gross, Kyra…"

There was a sudden flutter of many wings, and Al looked up – the mail was here. Hundreds of owls soared through the upper windows, flying here and there, looking for the recipients of their letters or parcels. A large brown barn owl glided over to the Gryffindor table, and dropped a letter onto Ben's lap. A couple seconds later, a gray screech owl Albus recognized fluttered down onto his shoulder with three letters in its beak.

"Hey 'Tilda."

The owl gave a muffled hoot and held out her beak. Al took the envelope with his name on it, noticing the other two were for James and Rose.

"Thanks."

Matilda spread her wings and took off, heading down the table to where James sat with his friends.

"Letters from home?" Kyra asked Albus, looking at his envelope rather sadly. She almost never heard from her parents, seeing as they weren't familiar with owl post.

"Yeah," Al said, opening the envelope and reading its contents. As he suspected, it was his mother just writing to say hello, to tell him that she missed him, and to express her anticipation in meeting his friends come Christmas time. While reading her letter, Al couldn't help but think about all that he had learned about his dad over the past couple of days. His mother must know all about his dad's past, yet she too was deliberately withholding this information from Al. He read through the lines about him, Ben, and Kyra visiting for the holidays, and felt a small pinch of trepidation. How could he face his parents again after learning all about something he wasn't supposed to know?

"What do you have there, Ben?"

Al looked up, and noticed Ben's head bent over a piece of parchment. Ben glanced up when Kyra spoke.

"Nothing, just a letter from my mum," he said, folding the letter up and tucking it inside his robes. He checked his watch. "We should get a move on – Charms is in five minutes."

The three quickly finished up their breakfasts, packed up their things, and headed off for their first class of the day. They were just beginning to climb the marble staircase when they heard a voice behind them:

"Hey, guys."

The three turned around, and noticed Kyra's friend Lucy Hayward walking along behind them. She grinned as she approached. "You heading over to Charms?"

"Of course – I wouldn't miss Professor Chauncey reading my terrible excuse for an essay about Levitation Charms for anything," Kyra smirked.

Lucy giggled, and then fell in step beside Al. "And what about you, Albus?"

"Oh, I'm definitely getting at _least_ a hundred and ten percent," Al assured her, smiling, and Lucy laughed again. The four made their way down the third floor corridor and reached the classroom, where students were milling around, waiting for the teacher.

"See you later," Lucy said, looking over her shoulder at Al before going to find a seat near some of her other friends.

Al, Ben, and Kyra got a desk to themselves near the back. Kyra was giggling about something as she set her books down.

"What is it?" Ben asked her, frowning.

"Oh, nothing," she said, glancing over at Lucy before taking her seat.

The next moment, their teacher walked in, causing the students who hadn't sat down yet to quickly rush and find their seats. Professor Chauncey was an intelligent young witch with a great deal of curly brown hair and half-moon glasses perched on the bridge of her nose. Her students knew her as a kind yet strict teacher who made a habit of assigning difficult pieces of homework as often as possible.

"Everyone, hand in your essays to me at the front," Professor Chauncey said briskly when she reached her desk. She took out her wand and waved it at the blackboard, causing words to suddenly appear on it. "After you have done that, take out your materials – today we will be learning about Mending Charms…"

The rest of the hour passed by with the usual difficult note-taking and complicated wand work, and by the end of class, Al's brain felt it had been wrung like a sponge. After jotting down their next assignment ("The Charm 'Reparo' And Its Uses"), and receiving a lecture from Professor Chauncey about not slacking off their work like most of her first years were used to doing, Al finally heard the bell to signal break with relief.

~/~

Seeing as the weather was relatively mild for November, the three friends decided to spend break outside in the courtyard instead of the common room. A lot of their fellow students had the same idea, and the area they were in was soon packed with chattering kids and gleeful laughter. Al, Ben, and Kyra managed to obtain a corner of the courtyard to themselves, and set their bags down there, reveling in their freedom for the next twenty minutes.

Kyra immediately struck up a conversation with Albus about racing broom models, and the two talked happily for several minutes about what broom they would buy if their parents would let them – Al would get a top-of-the-line Sonic XP-50, while Kyra maintained that the older Firebolt model was still far superior. The two were debating good-naturedly about the matter when Al realized that Ben wasn't with them anymore. He glanced around for a few seconds, and noticed Ben sitting down alone by the wall, slightly away from Kyra and Al, and reading his letter.

A couple of Gryffindor first-year boys nearby overheard Kyra and Al talking about brooms, and joined in on their conversation. Kyra looked as if she wanted to challenge these two guys to another Quidditch debate, and after a minute or two of some vicious back-and-forth about cobbing, Al felt safe to finally detach himself from the small group and walk over to join Ben.

"Hey."

Ben glanced up. "Hey. Sorry, I kind of ditched you guys…"

"Don't worry about it," Al said, dropping down beside his friend. "I doubt Kyra even realized you left."

Ben chuckled slightly, but said nothing else, and the two sat in silence for a couple seconds. Al noticed Ben still holding his mother's letter.

"How's your mum?" he asked, gesturing toward the piece of parchment.

Ben hesitated a moment before clearing his throat, "She's... she's alright. She says she's living in London at the moment, alone… Professor McGonagall found her a job as a secretary at some paper supply company, so she's doing that…" he looked down.

"Good," Al nodded, not knowing what else to say. They were silent once again.

"You know –" Ben began, but stopped himself. Al didn't say anything, and Ben eventually started again: "You know this is the first time she's written to me all year…" Albus was surprised, but remained silent. Ben continued: "I haven't heard a word from her in over a month, and after what happened with my dad…" Ben stopped talking again, and looked away. Al nodded, understanding what his friend had been so worried about.

"You could've talked with McGonagall… she might've known what was going on with her," he said reasonably.

"Yeah, and then what? I'm told that she's unhappy, or sick, or dead, or worse –" Ben scowled. " – back together with my father," he shook his head, unable to continue. He finally looked over at Albus. "I promised myself I would wait for her to write to me herself. I didn't want to trust anyone but herself to tell me if she was truly okay, y'know?"

Al met his friend's eyes, and saw the care and affection Ben had for his mother went beyond anything Al had ever previously thought. A sudden idea came to Al's brain at that moment, and a small smile crept onto his face.

"Hey, Ben… if I wrote to my dad to ask if it would be alright, would you like it if we invited your mother to spend Christmas with us at my house?"

Ben looked surprised and affected at this offer. He stared at Al for a moment before shaking his head: "I couldn't ask you to do that for me."

Albus smiled fully now. "I'll write home tonight, but I'm sure it won't be a problem. There'll definitely be enough space for us all, if James doesn't mind bunking with you and me in my room. And my granddad usually ends up sleeping on the sofa anyway…"

Ben looked like he didn't know how to thank Al enough for this offer; he grinned at his best friend, and Albus grinned back.

The bell suddenly rang to signal the end of break, and the boys stood up, ready to leave. They first extracted Kyra from her debate with the two boys about Quidditch fouls (they looked not at all sorry to end the conversation), and the three children trouped back indoors to grab their books for the next class.

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**A/N: I'm absolutely terrible at coming up with broomstick names. That's my excuse and I'm sticking with it.**

**Reviews are love :)**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hanalei: **Those first lines with Ben and Kyra at breakfast were basically a conversation I once had with my brother, so I know what you mean! Haha thanks again for reviewing :)

**Kaylzzie: **I give a brief overview of Ben's story at the end of chapter 2, but I will give you readers some more info about his family later in the story.

**Disclaimer: I do not own HP for G's sake.**

* * *

**Sunday**

**December 8****th**

**8:26 p.m. – Gryffindor common room **

"Hey Ben, how much scurvy grass and asphodel do you need to put in a Nail-Biting Solution?"

"How should I know? I'm doing Astronomy right now."

"Really? Well, the big silver ball in the sky is the Moon, by the way."

"Gotcha."

The three children were sitting near the common room fire, doing their homework. Snow was falling thickly outside the window, and there was a feeling of warmth in the air as the Gryffindor students lounged around the softly-lit common room, working on their schoolwork and talking to one another. However, after an hour and a half of paging through books and scribbling down the occasional line, Kyra's focus on her Potions essay was beginning to deteriorate.

"Ugh!" she suddenly burst out, tossing down her quill. "I can't do this anymore – I give up!"

She looked over at Ben and Al, who pretended not to have heard her and continued on with their work. They were used to this sort of behavior from Kyra when it regarded prolonged amounts of schoolwork.

She sighed loudly when she realized the boys weren't going to give her the attention she wanted, and then glanced around for something else to occupy her brain. "Want to have a game of wizard's chess, Al?"

Al's eyes never left his book. "I can't – I have to finish History of Magic."

Kyra peered over at what he was doing, and frowned. "But you're just reading that stupid book about your dad again."

Al scowled. "It's not stupid… and I was just about to finish up so I could work on History of Magic anyway."

Ben looked over at his best friend – the large volume _Dark Wizards of the 20__th__ Century_ was open on his lap. "How long have you had that checked out from the library?"

"Over a month," Al said, flipping through a couple pages. "I keep renewing it – I think Madam Pince is plotting to murder me in my sleep one of these days."

Ben smirked, "Why don't you just mail-order a copy of it from Diagon Alley? I'm sure Flourish and Blotts has it in stock."

"Maybe," Al shrugged, finally closing the large volume. "I just don't want James or Rose figuring out what I'm doing… and they'd know something was up if I took Matilda for more than a couple days."

"Well, who cares if James and Rose found out?" Kyra said apathetically, tilting her head back and balancing her quill on her nose. "What's the big deal?"

"It _is _a big deal," Albus said stubbornly. "Some of the secrets my dad has been keeping are massive, and I know how someone like James would react if he found out he was being lied to like that by his own father!"

This piqued his friends' interest: Kyra brought her head back down, letting her quill drop to the ground, and stared at Al.

"_Massive_ secrets?" Ben raised his eyebrows. "How massive are we talking?"

"Global," Al said, deadly serious. Kyra whistled.

"Sounds intriguing," she said. She promptly closed her Potions book and leaned in closer to Al. "Care to reveal these _massive secrets_ to us?"

Al looked at her. "I really shouldn't…" he said slowly.

Ben closed his book as well, his eyes also turned to his friend. Al glanced between Kyra's and Ben's expectant faces for a moment before sighing resignedly.

"Alright, fine… but swear to me that you'll never tell this to James or Rose or Lucy or anyone else, okay?"

"Sure," Ben affirmed.

"Of course," Kyra nodded.

Al motioned for his friends to come closer; Ben moved forward and took a seat beside Al, and Kyra perched herself on the coffee table facing them. They leaned in, while Al opened up the large volume on his lap.

"Well, it all began when my dad was just a baby," Al said, turning to the beginning of the book. "He was born into hiding with his parents, James and Lily Potter…"

"But that's –" Kyra interjected. Ben quickly shushed her.

"I know," Albus said quietly. "But listen – they were living in hiding, and under tons of magical protection, because for some reason they knew Lord Voldemort was searching for them. They thought they were safe… but on Halloween night, 1981, he found them out."

Kyra's hand went to her mouth. Ben stared at Al, riveted.

Al continued, "He killed my grandparents on the spot, then he tried to kill my dad…" he paused for effect. "…but he couldn't."

Kyra lowered her hand, "Oh! He felt bad?"

"No, Kyra – weren't you listening?" Ben said, looking over at her. "Lord Voldemort performed the curse on him, but it didn't work," Ben turned back to Al. "Right?"

He nodded, "That's right. _Avada Kedavra _is supposed to be the most deadly curse of all time – anyone or anything it's directed at dies in an instant… but didn't affect my dad at all!"

Kyra and Ben stared at Al, disbelief upon their faces.

"That's impossible –"

"– I don't believe it."

Al shook his head, sharing in their feeling of shock. "I know! But I'm afraid it's true – all of my sources confirm that it is. That really happened, and my dad is living proof."

"But how is that even _possible_?" Ben furrowed his brow.

"Search me," Al shrugged. "But after I read this next part, it all started to become much weirder…"

Kyra and Ben, fascinated, leaned in closer, giving Al their undivided attention. "What happened?"

Al lowered his voice even more. "After that curse hit my dad, it had rebounded and hit Lord Voldemort instead. He became seriously injured, and had no choice other than to run away and escape into hiding, but –" Al was practically whispering now. "– it says in this book here that Lord Voldemort's curse left a mark on Harry Potter's forehead: a scar in the shape of a lightning bolt..." Al looked very serious. "My dad _does_ have a lightning-bolt scar on his forehead, just like the book describes."

Kyra and Ben stared at Al before looking at each other, nothing but shock upon their faces.

"Wow," Ben whispered, looking back over at Al.

"That's horrible," Kyra shook her head. "Having your parents murdered in front of you, then having that scar to remind you about it every day…"

"I know," Al said quietly. He could barely even entertain half-conceived thoughts about what _he_ would do if his parents were killed.

The three were silent for a moment, not knowing what else to say, but were suddenly interrupted from their reverie.

"Hey guys! What are you three up to this evening?"

James had appeared out of nowhere, plopping down on the other empty seat beside his brother. Al jumped and quickly slammed the book shut.

"Oh, nothing – we're not doing anything," Al rambled, his heart pounding in his ribcage. He discreetly shoved the book toward Ben on his other side, and Ben immediately pulled his schoolbag over it, hiding it from sight. "Why would we be doing anything?"

James stared at him. "Oh-kay," he said slowly, giving them all a weird look. "I won't ask again, then…" He pulled a pack of Exploding Snap from his pocket. "You guys care for a match? Liam's still at Quidditch practice, so I have no one else to beat at this game."

Al, Ben and Kyra had no choice but to agree. They each played several rounds of the game, and James won nearly every time (though Kyra was rather often a match for him). By the time James' friend came back from practice, and James finally left the three alone, it had become rather late. They all agreed to turn in for the day, though each of their minds was still buzzing with the information they had heard that evening.

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**A/N: Don't worry, my lovely readers! More of Harry's story from Al's perspective is coming next chapter! :)**

**In the meantime, please review!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hanalei: **Thanks again! Yeah, I'd hoped people would like me retelling the whole Harry Potter story from a new perspective – I hope you like this next chapter just as well!

**Colette Amelia:** Thanks for the review! I'm glad you like this story – I hope you keep reading it. Here's the next update :)

**Disclaimer: I do not own what is owned by JK Rowling**

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**Wednesday**

**December 11****th**

**12:46 p.m. – Great Hall**

"Benjamin Adrian Staglovich: you are _such_ a liar…" Kyra shook her head.

"What? It's true!"

"It does seem a bit unlikely, mate," Albus said to his friend reasonably. Ben looked incredulous.

"_How_ is it unlikely? People see werewolves all the time," he said forcefully, glancing between the two.

"Yes, but not in a public toilet on the London Underground," Kyra rolled her eyes exasperatedly, and Al snickered. "They see werewolves in forests, and inside caves and stuff…"

"Whatever. But when I sell that story to the _Daily Prophet_, I'll be rolling in the Galleons, and you'll be _wishing_ you'd believed me…"

Al and Kyra cracked up, and Ben joined in; as they were laughing, Lucy, Kyra's friend, walked up.

"Hey, you three – what's so funny?" she asked, setting herself in the empty seat beside Kyra. Their laughter died down.

"Oh, nothing," Kyra giggled, wiping her eyes. "How're you?"

"Alright, I s'pose. Steven Laggs blew up my cauldron after Potions class today as a joke, so who do you think Professor Rhinehart put in detention?" Lucy scowled. "Forty-five minutes of scraping tubeworms out of the old school cauldrons… and I caught Steven laughing at me outside the dungeon doors just now because of it."

"What'd you do to him?" Al asked, grinning.

"Split his lip, then gave him a black eye," Lucy said unconcernedly. "Oh, and my friend Melina taught me this wonderful little jinx that makes boils sprout up all over your –"

"Yes, _thank_ you, Lucy," Kyra quickly spoke over her friend. Al and Ben both cracked up again.

Lucy smirked, pulling a platter of ham and turkey sandwiches toward her. "Think of it what you will – he deserved what he got."

"Where is he now?" Ben asked, smiling.

"Oh, he ran off," Lucy shrugged, taking a bite of her sandwich. "Probably to the hospital wing. He's always been a little wimp."

At this, Al chuckled. Lucy watched him for several seconds, smiling slightly, before looking away.

Kyra was filling up her plate with a second helping of stew. "So, Lucy… other than beating up innocent children, what else are you doing for the holidays?"

Lucy looked at her friend. "Well, I was _considering_ just staying here at Hogwarts for Christmas, just so I wouldn't have to deal with everything, y'know? But I know my mum wouldn't let me. She always counts on me to distract my entire family while she's making Christmas dinner; so I get to sit in the dining room with a bunch of old people and get bombarded with _stories_." Lucy looked sick just thinking about them. "It's seriously awful – all my Aunt Mirabelle talks about is growing up in Leeds on two Sickles a week. And if my Great Uncle Samwell tells me one more thing about life before Harry Potter, I'm going to kill myself…"

Al, Ben, and Kyra, instead of laughing, froze upon hearing this. They stared at her, looks of surprise etched onto their faces.

Lucy noticed their odd behavior. "What?"

Al glanced at his two friends. "Well… you said 'Harry Potter'…"

"So? I know that he's your dad," Lucy shrugged. "I made the connection months ago, but it doesn't really matter to me… at least your family's way more interesting than mine."

Al didn't say anything. Of course, Lucy was from a pureblood family. It wasn't very strange that she knew about his father… so why was he so shocked to hear her mention him?

Lucy checked her watch and got to her feet. "We should really hurry – Transfiguration is in five minutes."

"Okay. We'll catch you up," Kyra said, and Lucy nodded before heading off.

After she had gone, the three friends silently looked at each other. Suddenly, a bread crust flew through the air and hit Kyra on the nose.

"Ow – hey!" Kyra flinched, clutching at her glasses and glaring at Ben. "What was _that_ for?"

"You prat, Kyra! After all this time hanging out with Lucy and you had no idea that she knew something about Harry's dad," Ben said, scowling at her. "How thick _are_ you?"

"Why don't you come over here and find out, pretty-boy?" Kyra countered, scooping up a spoonful of peas off her plate and flicking them at him; Ben shielded his head with his fork.

"Stop it, you two," Albus quickly grabbed Ben's hand, which he had raised in retaliation. "Settle down, it doesn't matter. Pretty much everyone in this school knows about my dad – it's not that surprising that Lucy is one of them!"

Ben and Kyra glared at each other for several seconds before slowly relaxing; Ben let go of his fork and Kyra's grip on a platter of goulash loosened.

"C'mon, we can talk about this later," Al said, getting to his feet, and the other two followed. The three children walked out of the Great Hall and hurried off to Transfiguration.

~/~

The rest of the day passed with little excitement. Kyra's anger at Ben for his unprovoked attack at lunch had not quite abated, and she got her retribution during their final class of the day in Defense Against the Dark Arts; Professor Tuttle had his back turned to the blackboard, and she 'accidentally' upended Ben's ink bottle, dousing his newly-completed essay on manticores. Luckily, it seemed, the bell had rung moments after that had happened, for Al was sure Ben would have murdered Kyra if given the opportunity. Class was dismissed, the three children hurried together up to Gryffindor Tower. As promised, Al went up to his dormitory and grabbed _Dark Wizards of the 20__th__ Century_, but when he came back down again, the common room had filled up with so many noisy students, it was impossible to find a quiet place to talk. The three then agreed to go over to the library and discuss the matter there. They headed on back out of the portrait hole.

The library had a fair amount of students in it, but Al, Ben, and Kyra had an easier time finding a corner to themselves. They grabbed a table near a window, and as they sat down, Al set the large book in the center between them all.

"…So where did we leave off?" Al asked, opening the volume to the correct page.

"Your dad surviving a killing curse," Ben said, and Kyra nodded in agreement.

"Right," Al flipped to a chapter near the beginning, and found where he had left off before. "Oh, I remember this…" He leaned in and read out loud:

…_Due to Lord Voldemort's malicious cruelty inflicted upon the Potter family, young Harry was sent to live and be raised by his relatives of non-magic descent. It was rumored later on that Harry had grown up having little to no idea of his past or of his magical abilities…_

"He didn't even _know_?" Kyra interrupted loudly, looking incredulous. "But all that stuff happened to him!"

"Didn't his Muggle relatives tell him about it?" Ben asked Al, frowning. "Did they even know?"

"The book doesn't say," Al said, consulting it. "But I assume they knew _something_ about it – I mean, they had to when they took him in, didn't they?"

"I s'pose… keep reading."

…_When Harry finally received his letter and entered Hogwarts, he was soon confronted with various challenges and confrontations with Lord Voldemort himself. Harry Potter had met each one of these challenges with varying degrees of prowess, considered by many as some of the greatest demonstrations of heroism in today's modern magical world…_

"What'd he do?" Ben and Kyra asked at the same time.

"There's a list," Al said, pointing it out on the next page. "My dad discovered and effectively destroyed the Philosopher's Stone in his first year so Lord Voldemort couldn't regain his power…"

Ben whistled. "Wow – not bad for eleven…"

…_In his second year, he discovered the then-rumored Chamber of Secrets and, in turn, saved a girl's life…_

"The Chamber of Whats?" Kyra frowned, and Al shrugged. He read on:

…_In his fourth year of Hogwarts, Harry had witnessed and successfully delayed Lord Voldemort's second return to power…_

Ben and Kyra were speechless. They looked at Al, listening intently for whatever came next.

…_When Lord Voldemort finally reached the height of his second reign of power, approximately a year later, Harry Potter had reportedly begun to seek a way to defeat him once and for all. It was later revealed that Harry, now seventeen years of age, had been hunting for Dark artifacts known to those most learned in the Dark Arts as Horcruxes (cont. 87)._

"Horcruxes –?" Ben immediately began, but Al quickly shook his head.

"No, no let's not get into that. I – I've read in here about what Horcruxes are, and…" Al looked thoroughly disgusted. "I _really_ don't want to go through it again… let's just drop it, please."

It was clear that Ben and Kyra desperately wanted to know what Horcruxes were, but seeing the look on Albus' face, they decided not to push the matter. The three were silent for several seconds, and during their contemplative quiet, they heard a strange sort of wheezing sound from behind one of the bookshelves.

Al's heart rate sped up – was someone eavesdropping on them?

Kyra turned to face the strange noise. "Do you guys hear that?"

Ben and Al both nodded, looking tense. "What is it, do you reckon?"

The three were quiet as the wheezing sound got closer and closer, getting louder and louder. Al's heart was pounding harder than ever…

It came around the corner…

It was only Madam Pince. Al breathed a silent sigh of relief.

"The library's closing in five minutes," the old librarian snapped in her wheezy voice. "Pack up your things and get out!"

The three children had no choice but to immediately grab _Dark Wizards of the 20__th__ Century _and hurry on out of the library. They felt Madam Pince's angry glares on the backs of their necks as they left the place.

"Why is it we always get interrupted by someone when we discuss your dad?" Kyra asked her friend as she, Al, and Ben climbed the marble staircase. "First James, now Madam Pince… it's like Harry Potter's bad luck or something."

Ben laughed, "Yeah, the bloke who defeated the Darkest wizard ever is _bad_ luck..."

"Shh, not so loud," Al shushed him as several Ravenclaw fourth-years passed them in the opposite direction. "I've told you guys pretty much all I know about my dad's past, so we don't have to discuss the subject anymore, okay?"

"Yeah, but what about when we see your dad come Christmas-time?" Kyra asked him seriously. "Ben and I won't be able to keep a straight face! And I doubt you'd do much better, Al…"

Albus didn't respond. A small part of him figured she was probably right.

* * *

**A/N: Hey guys! Sorry 'bout the slight delay… and I'm afraid there may be another one for next chapter too :( Please forgive me, I'm doing the best I can under the circumstances.**

**Please review!**


	8. Chapter 8

**krazykenzi15: **I'm glad you like this story, despite the rose weasley ravenclaw tangent :) Here's the next update – I hope you like it!

**Hanalei: **Thanks for the review! And thank you for sticking with my story so far – I hope you enjoy this next update :)

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. Get over it.**

* * *

**Saturday**

**December 21****st**

**10:28 a.m.**

Time, it seemed, flew by over the next few weeks. The days got colder, the snow piled higher, yet there was a warm buzz of Christmas in the air as the students within Hogwarts eagerly anticipated going home for the holidays. Kyra Dobsen and Ben Staglovich were as enthusiastic as anyone – they were going to be spending the entire Christmas holiday with their new best friend, which, for any eleven-year-old child, is always a thrilling prospect.

This Christmas was especially exciting for Ben, because he had finally received the good news from Al that everything was settled between the Potters for his mother staying with them during the holidays.

"My dad says that it's all taken care of," Al told his friend, holding up the letter he had received from home. "They're going to Apparate together back to our house after we get there. Professor McGonagall signed off on it and everything…"

Ben was pleased, and for the rest of the day, he looked nothing short of impatient to get back on the train and return home to the Muggle world.

Kyra, in the same turn, was excited to finally receive Christmas greetings from her parents via owl post.

"They finally managed it," she exclaimed, looking eagerly at everything the barn owl had brought her from home: a Christmas card, a brightly-wrapped parcel, and several very long letters. "They must've really wanted to wish me a Happy Christmas!"

All-in-all, spirits were high for the three children as they spent their morning packing their things and preparing to head out on the Hogwarts Express at eleven o'clock. Al, however, couldn't help but think with slight dread about what he (and Ben and Kyra for that matter) would do when his father made an appearance. Al couldn't simply forget all those amazing things his dad had done when he had been a student at Hogwarts, and knew that his friends could hardly overlook what he, Al, had told them about Lord Voldemort. Al doubted very much that the topic would come up during their stay, but that didn't prevent his stomach from feeling the occasional nervous twinge as the hour of departure drew nearer.

At half past ten, Al, Ben, and Kyra all dragged their packed trunks down to the entrance hall, ready to get on the train. Hundreds of students were already milling around; the vast area seemed even bigger when filled with chattering kids, large suitcases, and teachers barking orders. The threesome wended their way through the crowd and soon found themselves several feet away from Rose Weasley, who was talking with Kendall, Kyra's brother. The two were standing close together, and as Al, Ben, and Kyra approached, Kendall whispered something in Rose's ear before walking away. Rose was practically glowing as she turned to face her cousin.

"Hello, Al – ready to go home?" she said brightly, grabbing the handle of her trunk.

"I guess so," Albus panted, heaving his heavy trunk toward her and dropping it by his feet. "What were you and Kendall talking about?"

"Oh, er… nothing important," Rose said, but the deep blush that had arisen on her cheeks said otherwise.

"Whatever he said to you, he's lying," Kyra said loudly, following Al and dropping her trunk beside his. "I thought I told you to stay away from that boy."

Rose scowled at Kyra. "Do we really have to bring _her _back with us?" she asked Al, crossing her arms.

"Yes," Al said, giving Kyra a look. "If she promises to behave."

Kyra rolled her eyes, but said nothing.

"Are we ready to head out now, or what?" Ben set down his trunk beside Kyra's and glanced around the entrance hall. "I saw some of the teachers leading students out to the carriages just now…"

"Professor Sinistra was just telling those Slytherins over there to get their things onto a carriage, so I think we'll be up next." Rose said, pointing to a small knot of students nearby.

"Wish they'd hurry up," Kyra sighed, plopping herself down onto her trunk. Al sat down beside her, and checked his watch. His stomach lurched slightly again as the hands crept closer to eleven o'clock.

Several of Rose's friends approached her to say their tearful farewells, and a pretty Ravenclaw girl Al saw on occasion came over for a private goodbye with Ben. Al and Kyra were then left alone, sitting side-by-side on the trunk, waiting for a teacher to give them permission to pack their things onto one of the carriages and finally board the train.

Kyra sighed, shifting her weight on the trunk and glancing around over the heads of the crowd. She watched Ben a short distance away; he was being given a folded note by the Ravenclaw girl, who had plastered a simpering smile on her face as she batted her eyelashes at him. Kyra snorted.

"I'll never understand what girls see in that boy," she muttered, shaking her head.

"They think he's mysterious," Al said, glancing over at Ben too. "He came here a month after the rest of us, and has a Dark wizard for a father. I'm not surprised most people find him interesting… and I guess the hair helps," he added, smirking slyly at Kyra. She rolled her eyes.

The two were silent for several minutes, and Kyra watched the students and teachers bustling around her, getting ready to depart on the Hogwarts Express. Rose and Ben still hadn't returned, and she finally glanced over at her friend.

"You look pretty somber for someone about to go home for Christmas."

Al had been sitting in contemplative silence, and he glanced up at Kyra when she spoke. "Oh. Sorry, I don't mean to be… I was just thinking about later tonight."

Kyra knew what he meant. "Don't worry, Al. Ben and I swore we'd stay quiet about all that stuff you told us about your dad."

"I know," Al said quickly. "That's not what I'm worried about."

Kyra looked at her friend for a moment before speaking: "Look, Al – I know how you must be feeling about all this. I'd be upset too… but I don't want you worrying about it too much. Worrying will just make this whole situation much more complicated than it already is."

"Gee, that makes me feel much better," Al said dryly, looking down at his hands.

"I'm serious... your dad has kept secrets from you your whole life, and you figured them out. So now that you're going to see your dad for the first time since then, you're afraid that he won't be the same person anymore."

Al was silent. She was exactly right.

Kyra went on: "Your dad hasn't changed – your picture of him is just a little different now. Don't worry… he's still your father, and he still loves you." She suddenly grinned, "I haven't met him yet, and even I know that."

Albus finally looked up at Kyra, and he smiled. She was right – he shouldn't be worrying about when he saw his dad again.

"Hey – you two," a hurried-looking Professor Sinistra bustled up to them and pointed them out the open front doors, where a carriage was waiting. "Get yourselves and the trunks onto that carriage. Hurry up, now!"

Al and Kyra jumped to their feet, and quickly began to gather their things. A moment later, Ben arrived, and, soon after, Rose. All of them heaved their trunks up and dragged them toward the empty carriage, which, in a few moments time, would take them straight to Hogsmeade Station.


	9. Chapter 9

**Hanalei: **Thank you so much! I always enjoy your reviews :) hope you like this next update!

**EvilTaurian: **I'm glad you like this story! I've stated before that I believe JK Rowling hinted at the end of the seventh book that Harry had never told his children about his past, and this fic is sort of my continuation of Al's life at Hogwarts with him slowly putting the pieces together.

**Laveycee: **I know, right? Basically all the Al/James/Rose fics I read depict them as already knowing all about Harry's past. Oh well, thanks for the review!

* * *

**Saturday**

**December 21****st**

**5:35 p.m. – Kings Cross Station**

The train was finally pulling up into Kings Cross Station, and countless parents crowded together onto the platform, staring eagerly at the scarlet steam engine that was moving toward them. Many of the adults waved, grinning hugely as the windows revealed the equally eager faces of their children.

Al, Ben, Kyra, James, and Rose all pressed against their carriage's window, looking out into the crowd. Al only had to search for a moment before he saw his mother's flaming red hair amid the mass of people. He couldn't help but grin when he saw her.

"Move over, Kyra, I can't see," Ben shifted closer to the window, shoving Kyra aside.

"Try that again," she threatened, reaching over and elbowing him in the ribs. The two tussled for a moment before James and Al had to force them apart.

"Stop it, you two. We're already here."

The train was slowing to a stop. The sounds of students clambering to pull their trunks out of the overhead compartments met their ears, and Al, along with the others, quickly began to do the same.

"D'you think your dad's already picked up my mum?" Ben asked Al as they struggled to drag their trunks out into the train's corridor.

"I dunno – I guess we'll see," Al panted. The five children made their slow way down the train and, finally onto the crowded platform.

"See them anywhere?" James asked, craning his neck to see over the heads of the people.

"I saw Mum from the window," Al said, also looking around. He pointed right, "Just over there."

"Gee, that helps," Kyra said sourly: she was struggling to carry her heavy trunk through the train's door, and Ben quickly moved over to help her out.

"Where's Aunt Ginny?" Rose asked, peering through the crowd as well.

"I'm right here."

Ginny Potter suddenly squeezed her way past a small group of people standing nearby, smiling widely at the children. She and Rose quickly embraced, laughing happily.

"Oh, it's so wonderful to see you!" Mrs. Potter exclaimed, moving over to hug James, and then Al, who went red when she pressed a large kiss to his forehead. "How are you? How was your trip?"

"It was alright," Al said. "Where's everyone else?"

"Just outside the platform – your father's bringing the car around."

"Is my mother with you?" Ben asked her suddenly, stepping forward. Ginny looked down at him, surprised.

"Oh, sorry… Mum, this is my friend Ben," Al quickly introduced. Ginny smiled.

"It's very nice to meet you, Ben… but no, I'm sorry dear, your mother's not here yet. Mr. Potter said he would pick her up later this evening, after dinner."

Ben looked slightly crestfallen, and Kyra quickly stepped forward, "Hello. I'm Al's other friend, Kyra."

Ginny's smile brightened, "Yes, of course! I've heard so much about the both of you. Come on, then – we all better get a move on."

Luckily, Ginny had the sense to bring two trolleys with her onto the platform; therefore the children had a much easier time transporting their luggage than before. They wheeled the trolleys toward the barrier of Platform Nine and Three Quarters, and pushed them through the solid wall as if it were made of nothing but air.

The day was blisteringly cold, despite the cloudless sky above. The group shivered as they pushed their trolleys across Charing Cross Road and toward a truck that had pulled up to the station. A tall, dark-haired man stood against the driver's door, arms crossed over his chest, waiting for the group to arrive. An even taller red-haired man was standing off to the side, talking with a short, brunette woman, and two young children sat on the sidewalk beside them, looking restless.

"Which one's your dad?" Kyra whispered to Al, her eyes flicking between the two men.

"The one with dark hair and glasses," Al muttered back.

"Look who I found!" Mrs. Potter announced happily as the group walked up. The adults all turned and smiled hugely when their children approached, and soon, many hugs and kisses were exchanged with proclamations of delight.

Al wasted no time in introducing his friends to his family.

"Uncle Ron, Aunt Hermione – this is Ben and Kyra," Al said, indicating his friends standing beside him.

"Yes, Al's told us so much about you," Hermione smiled, shaking their hands. "You're all best friends, then?"

"When you include Haircut over here," Kyra said patronizingly, and Ben responded with a hard shove. Ron and Hermione exchanged smiling glances.

Lily and Hugo were practically frantic to ask Al what Hogwarts was like: was the Great Hall as big as James had described? Was the ceiling really enchanted? Did ghosts honestly float through the walls? Was there really a giant squid in the lake? Were there really werewolves in the Forbidden Forest…?

"Whoa, whoa – slow down you two," Al had laughed as his sister and cousin questioned him at the speed of light. "We'll talk at dinner, okay?"

The two looked disappointed, and quickly turned to confront Rose about her Hogwarts experience.

Al purposefully waited to introduce his father to his friends, knowing that that introduction would be the most uncomfortable. When he knew he could wait no longer, he motioned to Kyra and Ben, and the three then walked over to Mr. Potter, who was now standing beside his wife.

Harry smiled when he saw his son, and greeted him with a hug, "Thought you'd forgotten about me, Al."

Al grinned at him, and then turned to two beside him: "Dad… these are my friends Ben Staglovich, and Kyra Dobsen." He then held his breath, hoping his friends would not betray his trust.

"Yes! The infamous Ben and Kyra," Harry smiled, shaking their hands. "I've heard so much about you two. How was the trip?"

Ben and Kyra responded politely that their trip was fine, and then thanked him for his kindness in letting them stay during the holidays.

"Oh, it's no problem at all," Harry waved their thanks away like it was nothing. "I remember Ron used to invite Hermione and me to his house during the holidays when we were kids. Best days of my life, those were…"

He smiled reminiscently, but Al felt a sudden uneasiness at this mention of his father's childhood. Luckily, Ben and Kyra had the sense not to get flustered, and smiled back.

"Sweetheart, we should really get a move on," Ginny said, checking her watch. "The reservation is set for six o'clock."

"Right. Come on, you lot…"

Al, Ben, Kyra, and James all squashed into the backseat of the truck, while Lily, Hugo, and Rose all sat in the middle aisle. Ron and Hermione promised to take everyone's luggage to the Potter's before Apparating to the restaurant they were meant to eat at. Harry and Ginny spoke with them for a moment before separating; they both stepped inside the car, Harry at the wheel, and Al watched his aunt and uncle waving to them in the distance before Disapparating.

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**Please review!**


	10. Chapter 10

**kwidditchfan: **I'm glad you like my story so far! Such compliments are always appreciated :) Here's the next update.

**Hanalei: **Thank you! I'm sorry to hear that about your family, but I'm glad my story seems to have made a difference :) This next update's for you!

* * *

**Saturday**

**December 21****st**

**8:53 pm**

After dinner, the whole party (save Ron and Hermione, who decided to go home for the evening) drove to the Potters' house in the truck; the sky began to darken rapidly as they went. The group was silent during the trip – James had been teasing Rose throughout dinner about her liking Kendall Dobsen, who was in his year, and Rose was sitting in a huffy silence, refusing to speak to anybody. Al was gazing out the side window, looking up at the stars that were appearing overhead, and thinking that in a few minutes time he would be home again.

Harry finally turned the car onto a familiar street and, moments later, pulled into a driveway. Al smiled when he saw the familiar outline of his house.

The Potters lived in a large house just outside a small Muggle town in the country; the place was called Peridot Manor, which was a very fitting name. A peridot was a precious jewel forest-green in color – and green was certainly a color prevalent at the Potter's house. Fields of grass and trees surrounded the manor, and Ginny Potter kept a vast, lush garden of flowers, shrubs, and trees in the backyard. Al had many happy memories of playing with Rose and James in that garden when he was little.

Mr. Potter put the car in park, and the kids all hopped out. Rose finally broke her silence when she whispered to Al: "It's great to be back here, isn't it?"

He grinned at her.

"Come along, you lot, into the house," Ginny ushered the children toward the front door. "Mr. and Mrs. Weasley should have already brought your luggage here."

"What's Dad doing?" James asked, looking back at his father, who was just standing and gazing toward something in the distance.

"Your father has to go pick up Ben's mother right now," Ginny said, glancing over her shoulder. "I think he needs to send her a message first, though, to let her know he's coming."

At this, Lily let out a squeal of delight and ran to her father's side. "Daddy! Is it really true? Mummy said you had to send a message!"

Harry looked down at his daughter and smiled. "Yes, I think I'll have to. You want to see?"

"Yes, yes, yes!" she trilled happily. Hugo, upon hearing this, quickly ran to stand next to his cousin, wanting to watch as well.

"Alright – here goes," Harry said, lifting his wand, and shouted into the night:

"_Expecto Patronum!_"

An enormous stag burst from the end of his wand, its blue light piercing the darkness; the group was forced to shield their eyes from the brightness. The Patronus cantered around Lily and Hugo, who laughed with delight at this spectacle, before it eventually slowed to a halt, facing Harry.

"Harry Potter for Mallory Staglovich," Harry said clearly to the stag. "Ben is here. Meet at corner of Rosedale and Warwick. Notify when ready."

The stag turned around and galloped away. It shone like a beacon in the distance for several moments before disappearing completely into the cold, wintery night.

The entire group was silent for several moments before Kyra suddenly burst out: "Okay, _what_ in the name of Merlin was _that_?"

Several people in the group snickered, and Harry turned around to look at her, smiling, "That was called a Patronus Charm, Kyra. Its main use is for warding off dementors, but I can also use it to send messages quickly and efficiently, and with no threat of it being intercepted."

"Yeah, Kyra, don't you know anything?" Ben smirked at her, and Kyra shot him a glare. Lily and Hugo tittered, and began chasing each other around the yard, laughing giddily.

"Alright, then, c'mon inside," Ginny called out to the young ones, and once again began to chivvy the whole group into the house. "It's freezing out, and it may be some time before the Patronus comes back."

"Can I just wait out here for a bit?" Ben asked her imploringly, and Ginny smiled down at him.

"I suppose so… but please put on a jacket, Ben, I don't want you freezing to death."

"I'll wait with you," Al said, and Ben grinned at him.

Kyra moved toward the front door, shivering. "Have fun in the cold, guys – I'm going where it's warm."

Ben and Al chuckled, and followed her into the house to grab their coats, when a bright blue light suddenly shined behind them. They whipped around, and saw the stag Patronus cantering back toward the house. It slowed to a stop in front of Harry, and then bowed its antlered head.

"Thank you," Harry said. The stag then vanished. "She's ready," Harry turned toward his wife. "I'll go right now."

"Be careful," Ginny said anxiously.

Harry nodded; he kept his wand clutched in his hand, and began to walk away, into the night. Ben looked as if he wanted nothing more than to go with him, but Al held him back, and they both watched Harry go further into the darkness before Disapparating at the end of the drive.

Ginny sighed before turning and walking back into the house, leaving the door open and the porch light on.

"He'll only be gone for a couple minutes," Al assured his friend, who was gazing at the spot where Harry vanished with extreme anxiety. "It shouldn't be too long before your mum's here."

"She hates Apparition," Ben said nervously, shaking his head. "She's always hated it, I should've told you… my dad would drag her places she didn't want to go, and then he would Disapparate with her at his side… when they came back she would always start gasping, as if she was being choked… and he didn't care, he just kept doing it…"

Ben was rambling, and he began to pace back and forth along the lawn, looking more than a little agitated. Al stared at him.

"Hey, don't worry – it's gonna be alright," he said to his friend. "If she doesn't want to come by Apparition, my dad'll send another Patronus, and my mum would drive over and pick them up in the truck…"

But Ben didn't seem to hear Al – he was still pacing nervously back and forth, biting his thumbnail and glancing up now and again at the place where Harry had Disapparated. Al decided not to press the matter any more, and the two waited in silence for several long minutes.

Suddenly, a loud crack rent the freezing night air, and the boys looked up. In the distance, two figures were moving toward the house, the larger one carrying a suitcase under his arm. Ben had finally stopped his pacing, and stared.

"Benjamin?"

One of the figures, the smaller one, walked closer into the light coming from the open front door. It was a young woman – she was of medium height, and had the same handsome features as Ben, the same brown hair, the identical blue eyes. Premature lines on her face were indication of the hardships she had faced for the past eleven years, but a sparkle of life seemed to shine in her countenance when she saw her son. Her eyes brimmed with happy tears.

"Mum," Ben whispered, and immediately ran toward her. Mallory opened her arms, and next moment, they crashed into a hug, laughing and crying and holding each other for the first time in months. They swayed where they stood, sobbing happily, interlocked in an embrace where neither looked ready to let go any time soon.

"My son," Mallory wept, running a hand over Ben's hair and smiling tearfully down at him. Ben grinned up at her, his eyes also red with moisture.

Harry and Al smiled as they watched the two reunite; Harry edged silently around them with Mallory's suitcase in hand, and walked over to his son.

"C'mon," Harry said quietly, putting a hand on Al's shoulder, and Al understood. The two glanced back at the mother and son for a moment before turning around to head back into the house. Al couldn't help but smile slightly for his friend's sake.

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**A/N: So I've finally revealed to you all my odd obsession with precious jewels. Peridot's alright, but my favorite is ametrine. Just sayin'...**

**Review, please and thank you :)**


	11. Chapter 11

**Squirrely Quirre: **Seriously? Why does everyone ask me that? Did I miss an important memo that said Rose/Scorpius was everybody's OTP?

**Loves to read books:** Amethyst is actually a mineral found in ametrine! It's a combination of amethyst and citrine and the result is this beautiful purplish-orange amalgamation. Yup I'm a nerd.

**Colette Amelia: **Thank you so much! Yes, I've had Ben's storyline planned out in my head for a long time now, and I'm glad it's finally starting to make some headway – so far I've absolutely loved expanding upon his and Kyra's characters, and I'm looking forward to the next chapters just as much as you :) Haha thanks again!

**Hanalei: **Thank you! I hope you enjoy this next update just as much :)

* * *

**Sunday**

**December 22****nd**

**11:15 a.m. – Peridot Manor**

"Kyra, is this seriously gonna take all morning?"

"Stop your whining, Ben – I'll only be a second."

"Yeah, you said that twenty minutes ago…"

The day was cold and blustery, but there was no snow, and the ground was fairly hard, making the conditions perfect for the kids to play a two-by-two game of Quidditch in the garden before lunch. However, Kyra took it upon herself to examine all the broomsticks before anyone had a chance to fly, delaying their game a substantial amount.

"There's a slight list to this one," Kyra said knowledgably after scrutinizing one of the brooms – a Shade 7 series, bought two years ago for Mr. Potter's birthday. "But otherwise in good condition…"

"Great," Albus yawned. He and Ben had been sitting on the back porch for a while now, feeling bored and impatient. Rose, also tired of waiting for Kyra, went off to play with Hugo over in one of the surrounding fields. Al watched his cousins in the distance: Lily was near them, crouching in the grass and apparently looking for something. Al also spotted his mother and Mallory Staglovich taking a walk together just outside the garden – they walked arm-in-arm, Ginny pointing out some of the magical herbs and shrubs she had planted, while Mallory examined them with delight and fascination.

"Looks like our mums are really getting along," Ben muttered to Al, also watching them.

Al agreed there was definitely a strong bond between the two women, despite having known each other for only a day. Ginny's sympathy and admiration for what Mallory had to go through with her husband Aengus and the hardships she had experienced bringing her son to England seemed to go beyond anything that Al had ever seen in his mother before.

"Maybe we could get a few extra Christmas presents out of this," Al suggested, and Ben laughed.

"Al!"

Lily was running toward her brother, her face alight with ecstasy. She skidded to a stop in front of him, looking painfully excited about something. "Al – guess what I just did!"

Al grinned – only one thing in the world could make his sister this giddy. "Magic again?"

"Yes!" she squealed, bouncing on her feet. "Do you wanna see?"

"Oh, I think Ben would much rather watch… he's never seen you do magic before, has he?" Al smirked at his friend, who gave him a sarcastic glare in return.

The idea of a brand-new audience made Lily, if possible, even more excited. She gasped, and then shrieked: "YES! C'mon Ben, over here…!"

She grabbed Ben by the jacket sleeve and dragged him toward a patch of dead grass a few feet away. She plopped herself down on the ground, and Ben shot his friend a small grin over his shoulder as he sat down next to her. Al watched them, stifling a snicker.

"Wait…" Lily leaned over so she was looking directly down at the cold, hard earth. "Okay, watch," she whispered, lightly cupping her hand over a spot of bare ground in front of her. She stayed like that for a moment before slowly bringing her hand back up – where frozen terrain had been before, now bloomed a beautiful white flower.

"Wow, Lily! That's awesome," Ben complimented, looking sincerely impressed. Lily grinned, pleased with herself on having achieved the same bit of magic twice in a row.

Ginny and Mallory had strolled over toward the children, watching as well. Ginny beamed when they saw the flower. "Excellent, sweetheart!" she exclaimed.

Mallory stepped forward and knelt down in front of the plant. She examined the flower, and Lily's smile faded somewhat.

"A white carnation," she finally said, looking up at Lily, who met her eyes. Mallory smiled. "That means good luck."

Lily's grin popped back onto her face.

"You'll make a fine witch someday, child," Mallory said kindly; Lily blushed and smiled even wider at such praise from an apparent stranger. Lily then did something unexpected – she plucked the flower out of the ground and handed it to Mallory.

The woman's eyes widened. "For me?"

The girl nodded, and Mallory looked touched at such a gesture – she slowly took the flower, and held it delicately up to her nose, smiling. "It's beautiful. Thank you."

Lily bit her lip, smiling back.

Ginny, who also looked affected by her daughter's sweet gesture, cleared her throat. "C'mon children, we should get really ready for lunch – Lily, go fetch your cousins out in the field. Now please."

Lily immediately hopped to her feet and ran off to find Rose and Hugo. Al stood up and brushed himself off; Ben, who was still sitting on the ground, watched his mother holding the flower with a smile on his face. When Mallory made a move to get up, he quickly did the same, helping her to her feet.

Kyra looked excessively disappointed, a broomstick still clutched in her hand. "But we didn't even get to play a match, yet!"

The others ignored her (though Al and Ben couldn't resist a small eyeroll), and the whole group moved their way back into the house.

~/~

Lunch was a noisy affair full of conversation, laughter, and delicious food. Hermione and Ron stopped by, bringing along a third person, Teddy Lupin. The Potters were all thrilled to see him, and Al wasted no time in introducing Ted to his friends.

"Oh yeah, that's right – Harry mentioned Al brought his friends home to stay for Christmas," Ted grinned at the two, pulling up a chair beside Al. "Nice to meet you both."

Ben nodded politely, but Kyra wasn't listening – she was fully engaged in a conversation with James about the latest Quidditch match between the Falmouth Falcons and Puddlemere United:

"Patrick Topsley blatched Gerard Stevenson, it was just a technical foul," James insisted, spooning a second helping of stew onto his plate.

"A 'technical foul', just like when he cobbed Ophelia Smitts? Topsley was totally in fault!" Kyra countered.

Ted turned away from her and faced Hugo, who immediately asked Ted if he was really dating Victoire Weasley, and if he 'like-liked' her.

"Be quiet, Hugo, that's not appropriate," Hermione scolded her son as Ted's face went red.

At the other end of the table, Harry was talking with Mallory about flying.

"Broomsticks are fairly easy to control, and I'm sure Ben would have no problem operating one," he assured her. "Brooms can be very useful too, to get around places without Floo Powder. The children have probably had a few flying lessons over at Hogwarts already, but I'd be more than happy to give Ben a few tips. I've taught James and Al all I know about flying, and they've turned out to be pretty good, I'd say… I can lend Ben an old Cleansweep 6 one of these days and see how he handles it…"

Ginny and Ron were sitting near the middle of the table, laughing about something that had happened when they were kids:

"I remember that! Mundungus brought like twelve stolen cauldrons into the house," Ron laughed as Ginny giggled, wiping her eyes with her napkin. "Mum went completely berserk!"

The dining room filled with excited talk and happy conversation, and for many minutes, Al decided not to join in any conversation, but merely listened to the others talk and mingle with a small, pleasant grin on his face.

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**A/N: Spoiler - next chapter is when some drama begins! Stay tuned!**

**Reviews would be simply lovely! :)**


	12. Chapter 12

**Loves to read books: **Really? I guess we do :) haha I hope you like this next chapter!

**Hanalei: **Thanks! Yeah I totally agree – Rose/Scorpius is just derived from the Hermione/Draco pairing, which I've always found to be completely ridiculous anyway (no offense if you like H/D, but that's just how I feel). And thank you – I find myself becoming really attached to Ben's character :) lol Here's the next update! Hope you enjoy.

**dreamstar potter: **Here's the next chapter! Hope you like it :)

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**Tuesday**

**December 24****th**

**7:35 p.m. – Peridot Manor**

"I wish for ten thousand Galleons!"

"You're not supposed to say your wish out loud, dumbo – you have to think it."

"Or what? It won't come true? Come on, when am I ever going to get ten thousand Galleons?"

"Fair point. Okay, then – I wish Kyra will be doused in dragon dung!"

"Hey! Wait… do you _want_ me doused in dragon dung, or don't you?"

"Of course I do, but either way – I'm just letting the fates know I want you doused in dragon dung."

Kyra punched Ben on the arm, and the two kids laughed. They had just finished Christmas Eve dinner with the Potters and Mallory, and both were feeling rather full and happy. They managed to obtain a wishbone from the turkey Mrs. Potter had cooked, and after everyone had dispersed from the dinner table, they slipped away out back. The two now wandered the spacious corridors of Peridot Manor alone, bickering in their usual, friendly fashion.

"Okay, ready?" Kyra grabbed one end of the wishbone, and Ben grasped the other. "One… two… three!"

They tugged, and the bone snapped in half. The greater proportion was in Ben's hand.

"Yes!" Ben said jubilantly, punching his fist into the air. "The fates are on my side!"

"You cheated – you pulled on 'two'!"

"Either accept that I've won, or just pout and be a sore loser," Ben sneered.

"Sore loser sounds good," Kyra chucked her smaller half of the wishbone at Ben's head. He quickly dodged her attack, whipping his own wishbone back at her. She laughed and ran away from him down the hall.

Ben chased her down a second corridor. He quickly caught up to her, and snatched her from behind by her waist. Kyra shrieked in surprise, and Ben quickly slapped a hand to her mouth, silencing her.

"Gotcha!" he said triumphantly. Kyra writhed in his grasp, trying to break free and yelling muffled insults at him. Ben just grinned, refusing to lessen his grip.

During those few seconds when Ben wasn't laughing and Kyra wasn't shouting, there was silence, and during that silence the children could hear two adults talking in low, anxious voices through a doorway down the hall:

"…doesn't make sense to tell him now. He may not even know yet."

Ben froze. Kyra stopped squirming to escape his grasp. They both listened with wide eyes.

"Well, he must be getting suspicious by now. He'd be a fool if he wasn't…"

Ben slowly let Kyra go, and luckily she was silent when he removed his hand. She turned and gazed at him nervously.

"That's Al's mum and dad," she whispered. Ben nodded and put a finger to his lips.

"I don't see why you have to rush this – James was rightly horrified when we told him last year…"

"Ginny, we're talking about Albus here… you know as well as I that he and James are two completely different people."

Ben and Kyra exchanged another look. They knew they shouldn't be listening to this private conversation between Mr. and Mrs. Potter, but at the same time, Al's name had been mentioned…

Ben motioned silently to Kyra, and both of them crept closer to the door so they could listen better.

"Well, if you feel that Al should hear it, then why not Rose? Or Hugo and Lily…?"

"Come off it, you know Lily is too young. And it's up to Ron and Hermione to decide when to tell their kids…"

"Still, Harry – you're talking about this as if you're actually planning on telling them about your past with You-Know-Who!"

There was a pause, until Mr. Potter said quietly: "You know this day had to come sooner or later…"

"Then why not later?" Ginny snapped, and Kyra and Ben looked at each other a third time. "Why should it be now? Al's friends are here, and Mallory… why can't this wait just a couple more months?"

"Ginny, if I felt that we could wait until the summer to tell him, I would. But I know that if we send him off to school again and he still doesn't know, he could end up finding out some other way from another kid or by coming across it in a book... I wouldn't be surprised if it had happened already."

Ben quickly looked at Kyra, who was staring at the door with her mouth slightly open, a look of shock and fear frozen on her features.

"Perhaps James could –" Ginny began, but her husband interrupted:

"No – we've already told James, and he's sworn that he wouldn't breathe a word of it to anyone. If Al is going to hear about it, it will be from either you or me, and no one else."

Mrs. Potter didn't respond, so Harry went on. "I've said to you, time and again, that we should have told Al before he left for Hogwarts, like we did with James. We should have prepared him for what he would come to expect from the other students. But we decided to wait, and now…" Harry trailed off, and there was a short pause.

"Do you really think he knows?" Ginny asked quietly. Harry heaved a huge sigh.

"I dunno… sometimes I feel that he's figured it out, but other times I feel like I'm just being paranoid… and maybe I am, who's to say?"

Silence reigned, and during that pause, Kyra turned to look at Ben again, her expression wide-eyed and reckless:

"We have to go in there," she whispered.

Ben, shocked, turned to look at her, also wide-eyed. "What? Are you mad!?"

"Shh," Kyra hissed, glancing at the door. "We have to tell them Al already knows! Who else are they going to hear it from?"

"We're their guests – I'm not about to admit that we've been eavesdropping on their private conversation!"

"Well, then, what do _you_ suggest we do?"

"We should leave and pretend we didn't hear a thing, _that's _what we should do."

Kyra sneered, "Don't be such a doxy, Ben – they're going to have to find out sooner or later."

Ben scowled at her, "Don't call me a doxy."

"I'll call you whatever I like," Kyra said indignantly.

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah!"

"You think you're tough?"

"Tougher than you, pretty-boy!"

"You want to say it to my face?" Ben glared at her angrily. Kyra turned toward him, moving until her nose was inches from his. Her features were contorted in contempt.

"_Doxy_," she said very clearly, braving the consequences. A muscle in Ben's jaw twitched.

It was difficult to determine exactly who had thrown the first punch, but when Mr. and Mrs. Potter rushed out into the corridor to investigate the sounds of scuffling and shouting, they found Al's friends, Ben and Kyra, both locked in a furious battle. Kyra had jumped onto Ben's back, practically throttling him, and Ben was furiously trying to pry her arms off. He ended up biting her on the wrist, and she yelped in disgust; instead of letting go, she retaliated by grabbing a handful of Ben's hair, causing Ben to yell out in pain.

"Stop it you two!" Ginny shouted, horrified, and she and Harry quickly rushed forward to pull them apart. The two children fought against the adults holding them back, viciously trying to attack the other. After a few seconds, however, they slowly began to settle down, and after a minute or so, grew tired enough so they just stood limp in the firm grasps of Mr. and Mrs. Potter, glaring at each other and panting heavily.

"Now, what on earth were you two fighting about?" Harry asked them, finally loosening his hold on Ben.

Ginny let go of her grip on Kyra, and looked expectantly down at them as well. Ben and Kyra, now finished with their feud, stared anxiously up at them. Neither knew what to say.

"Well?" Harry put his hands on his hips. Ginny crossed her arms.

The two children exchanged a nervous look.

* * *

**To Be Continued!**

**A/N: I hope you guys liked this whole Ben/Kyra centric chapter – I seriously love writing those two together, and I thought this update was as good as any to indulge :)**

**Leave a review if you'd be so kind!**


	13. Chapter 13

**dreamstar potter: **Aww you're welcome :)

**Dobbythefreeelf3333: **Your review seriously just made my day. You readers are the reason I write :) Thank you!

**Lily F. Lux: **That is so true! I hope the suspense hasn't been TOO great lol. Thank you so much for the review – I really do try to avoid those Mary Sue-type characters that can tank a story, which is why I love to write Ben and Kyra so much. Haha thanks again :) Hope you like this next chapter!

**Hanalei: **Thank you! Next chapter comin' right up :)

* * *

**Tuesday**

**December 24****th**

**8:01 p.m. – Peridot Manor**

"Um…"

Mr. and Mrs. Potter were still gazing sternly down at Ben and Kyra, waiting for their explanation of fighting inside the house. "Well?" Harry asked again when they still didn't respond. "Explain yourselves."

"Yes – Ben, do we have to go get your mother?" Ginny asked, her arms still crossed, her manner grim and unsmiling.

"No," Ben said quickly, shooting a sideways glance at a wide-eyed Kyra. "No, you don't… we promise not to fight anymore."

Kyra nodded vehemently, "Yes, we promise!"

Harry and Ginny exchanged a doubtful look. A thought had apparently come to Harry's mind, for he suddenly turned and gazed suspiciously down Kyra and Ben: "Why were you even out here in the first place?"

Ben's eyes widened. He glanced desperately over at Kyra, who opened her mouth to speak. All that emitted was a small squeak.

"We… er, we got lost," Ben said shiftily, glancing back at the two adults. "Kyra and I took a walk after dinner and… and we couldn't find our way back again."

This was a weak excuse, and it showed on the Potters' faces. Peridot Manor was hardly large enough for two eleven-year-olds to get lost in, let alone for over an hour. Kyra groaned.

"'We got lost'?" she turned to look at Ben with incredulous disbelief. "You honestly thought that line would work?"

"Well I didn't see you coming up with anything better!" Ben snapped back.

"Enough!" Harry interrupted as Kyra opened her mouth angrily. "You two better start explaining yourselves."

"Were you listening at the door?" Ginny suddenly asked bluntly.

Ben and Kyra froze at this question, staring up at her. Their pulses raced – how on earth were they supposed to answer that? Harry turned to his wife, looking thunderstruck.

"Ginny…" he whispered, wide-eyed. He obviously did not want that subject to be brought up. Ginny ignored him, however, and peered imperiously down at the two children. They seemed to cower under her stern gaze.

"Just answer us truthfully, and we won't get cross," she said calmly, but still with an air of unwavering authority. "Were you listening to our conversation just now?"

Meekly, and as one, Ben and Kyra nodded their heads.

Ginny looked at them for a moment before sighing through her nose. She glanced up at her husband, who was gazing back at her with anxiety.

"We didn't mean to eavesdrop!" Ben said desperately, looking up at Mrs. Potter imploringly. "We just sort of wandered over here by accident…"

"Yeah," Kyra nodded. "Well, ran, actually… Ben thought he'd be funny and chase me around the house…"

"I was chasing you because you threw that wishbone at my head!"

"Kids," Ginny said warningly, and they quieted. She crouched down so she was just under eye-level to them, looking more serious than ever. She spoke quietly: "What you heard between Mr. Potter and I was a very serious family issue, and I would very kindly ask you two not to mention it to Al until his father and I have gotten a chance to speak to him. Okay?"

Ben hesitated only a moment before nodding. Kyra looked like she was teetering on the edge of something very big before bursting out quickly: "Al already knows!"

"_Kyra_!" Ben snapped, whipping around to face her. Kyra put her hands over her mouth, looking horrified by her weakness.

"I'm sorry!" she wailed, her voice muffled. "It just slipped out!"

"_What_?" Ginny's eyes widened, shocked. She immediately straightened up, and took a step backward.

"Did you just say Al already knows?" Harry said, thunderstruck. He exchanged a stunned look with his wife.

"No," Ben said quickly, giving Kyra a nasty look. "No, Kyra's just being stupid, aren't you Kyra?"

"Wait, how long has he known?" Ginny's frantic eyes jumped between Ben and Kyra.

Both children were silent for a brief moment, before Kyra finally moved her hands slightly away from her mouth and spoke quietly: "Over a month."

Harry and Ginny both gasped, staring down at Kyra with wide, horrified eyes. Ben quickly reached over and shoved Kyra's hands back over her mouth, holding them firmly there.

"Shut UP, Kyra!"

Kyra gave a muffled yell: "Mmmgh! Mmgh!"

"Stop it, you two," Ginny said, but not with the same authority as before; she seemed to be distracted and worried beyond consolation. "Oh my God, Harry. He knows!" She turned to gaze at her husband, looking scared.

"I knew this would happen!" Harry ran a hand through his hair, looking just as upset. "We waited to tell him, and now he probably hates us for it…"

"Oh, what are we going to do?" Ginny looked down, placing a hand over her eyes. "I was so sure he wouldn't find out! This is all my fault…"

"No, it's not," Harry said firmly. He then turned resolutely toward Ben and Kyra, pulling Ben's hand off of Kyra's, and Kyra's hands off her mouth. He crouched down on his haunches, as Ginny had done before.

"Listen, you two," he said in a quiet, yet firm voice. Ben and Kyra didn't hesitate to do what they were told. "This is a very serious matter, and if you two are willing to tell us all that you know about it, we'd be extremely grateful…"

"But Al made us swear not to say anything," Ben said quickly – a second later he looked horrified with himself, and slapped a hand over his mouth.

"Not as easy as it looks, is it?" Kyra said snidely. Ben glared at her.

"Stop it, you two, this isn't a game!" Harry said heatedly, getting to his feet. He paused, took a deep breath, and then said more calmly: "Look – I realize Al is probably feeling very confused about everything right now, and I can understand why he wouldn't want the subject to be approached… but his mother and I want to help him, and to help him we need to know exactly what we can do."

There was a pause, where Harry and Ginny gazed expectantly at them. Ben and Kyra glanced at each other. Both had the same thought on their minds.

"If you want to know how to help your son, then you go and talk to him," Kyra said boldly.

"Yeah," Ben affirmed. "From now on, leave us out of it."

Harry and Ginny could hardly exchange looks of shock before the two children simultaneously turned around and began to walk away, shoulder-to-shoulder, and hearts pounding frantically.

"We just cheeked Al's parents," Kyra whispered stiffly, her eyes wide. "Oh my God…"

"I know. Just keep walking," Ben whispered back. They could feel the adults' eyes on the backs of their necks, but continued resolutely down the corridor. It wasn't until they turned the corner that they finally broke out into a run.

~/~

If Ben and Kyra had had any attention for anything other than Al's parents and their own fear of capture, they might have noticed the person standing in the adjoining corridor they were running down. But Rose Weasley had gone by unnoticed, and she watched in astonishment as the two kids streaked past her, looking frantic. Indeed, it was odd, Rose thought… she had just been walking down the hall, and overheard her Aunt Ginny and Uncle Harry talking to Ben and Kyra about Albus. They all seemed really worried about him for some reason, and Al's friends seemed to know why, but refused to tell. What on earth could it be? And what could make Ben and Kyra so worried as to run from the whole conversation?

Rose, still frowning, turned and hurried away.

* * *

**A/N: I'm sorry for another cliffhanger ending… I admit I have a problem.**

**But anyway – please review! I'd be ever so grateful :)**


	14. Chapter 14

**Dobbythefreeelf3333: **Thank you! I'm glad someone likes my cliffhangers lol. Here's the next chapter, and thanks again for the review! :)

**Loves to read books: **Here it is! Hope you enjoy… :)

**dreamstar potter: **I get the feeling you're excited?:) haha you're welcome – next chapter comin' right up!

**Guest: **Thanks! Yeah, I've had the idea for this story for a long time, and I'm really glad you like it so much.

**iceflower of ThunderClan: **I was born in January, so my birthstone's a garnet.

**Hanalei: **Aw, why thank you! But you'll have to wait and find out ;) haha here's the next chapter.

**Disclaimer: I own nothing except Ben and Kyra. I seriously love those two :)**

* * *

**Wednesday**

**December 25****th**

**8:12 a.m. – Peridot Manor**

Christmas morning dawned bright and cold, and Peridot Manor had become coated in fluffy, white snow – there had been a blizzard overnight, resulting in whiteness covering nearly everything as far as the eye could see. Large flakes still drifted lazily down from the grey sky, and Albus, who was the only one awake at this hour, watched them fall from his bedroom window.

He grinned to himself – he really loved Christmas, and spending it at home with his best friends was certainly the perfect way to spend his holiday.

There was movement behind him, and Al turned around to see Ben stirring awake. Ben's camp bed was positioned next to Al's, and in the far right corner of the room slept James. The latter was snoring slightly, his mouth gaping open and his blankets tangled in a ball around his legs. Ben groaned slightly as he pulled himself upright, yawning and rubbing his eyes.

"Good morning," Al said from the window. Ben looked around.

"Oh… 'morning Al," he said thickly, running a hand over his face and yawning again. "Sleep well?"

"I s'pose so," Al moved over to sit on the edge of his bed. "But, anyway… merry Christmas!"

"What? Oh yeah!" Ben noticed the pile of parcels at the foot of his camp bed and was instantly awake. "It's Christmas!"

Al laughed, "Nothing gets by you, mate."

"Oi!" Ben threw his pillow at Al's head, and Al dodged it, still laughing. James gave a sleepy grunt.

"We should probably be quieter," Al said in a low voice, glancing at his brother, and Ben nodded, swinging his legs over the edge of his bed.

"C'mon, then. Let's get to it," Ben picked up his first present, and then glanced over at Al. "Haven't you started yet?"

"No, not yet. I wanted to wait for you and Kyra to get up first."

For some reason, Ben's face fell slightly. "Oh."

"What?"

Ben shook his head, setting the parcel down. "Nothing… it's just… that's really nice of you."

Al gave him an odd smirk: "Um, okay… well, you can save the sentiment for later. We've got work to do." He tossed Ben's pillow back at him and Ben caught it, grinning.

"Right."

The house was silent as the two boys crept out of Al's room and down the hallway toward Lily's room, carrying their pillows and fighting back snickers. When they got to the door, Al held a finger to his lips before reaching out and carefully turning the handle.

All the girls were still fast asleep. Al motioned to Ben, and the two crept past Lily, and then Rose, moving over toward Kyra. She was lying face-down on her camp bed, her blonde hair mussed with sleep. As Al and Ben positioned themselves on either side of her, she mumbled incoherently, shifting slightly.

"Ready?" Ben raised his pillow up and looked expectantly at Al.

"On the count of three, then," Al whispered, raising his own pillow. "One… two… _three_!"

The boys threw their pillows down on Kyra's head at the same time, and Kyra awoke with a shout:

"ARGH!" she scrambled upright, getting tangled in her blankets and looking bewildered. "Whozair? Wuz going on?"

Ben and Al were laughing. "Wake up, sleepyhead!"

"What?" Kyra blinked up at them, still looking bemused. "Al? Ben?"

"Who'd you expect, Father Christmas?" Ben snickered. Kyra blinked again, and seemed to come to herself a bit after a moment:

"You prats!" Kyra suddenly grabbed one of the pillows and flung it back at Ben, hitting him in the midriff and causing them to laugh even harder. "I _hate_ you guys!"

"Relax, Kyra – we just want to open presents with you," Al reached down and helped her to her feet. Kyra straightened up, still looking thoroughly irritated.

"Hey, be thankful we threw _pillows_ at your head," Ben said reasonably, smirking.

"_You_ be thankful I haven't bashed your teeth in yet," Kyra spat right back.

There was movement in the other two beds, and Al turned around to see his sister and cousin stir themselves awake.

"Hey," Rose sat up, her hair bedraggled and her expression grumpy. "Can't a girl sleep around here?"

Lily sat up too, rubbing her eyes and scowling blearily at Albus.

"Oh, cheer up, you two. It's Christmas!" Al grinned. Rose still looked irritable, but Lily immediately leapt out of bed and onto the floor, completely forgetting her annoyance at being woken up. The others laughed.

"Let's get to it then," Ben grinned, moving toward the door. "We should all go back to Al's room to open presents. C'mon…"

Al helped Kyra gather up her parcels and the three of them trekked down the hallway toward Al's room to open their presents.

~/~

The rest of the morning passed in a happy blur of gifts and Christmas greetings. Al, Ben, and Kyra were opening presents with such raucous excitement and loud exclamations of delight that soon the rest of the house had woken up too. James, after being rudely awoken, pointedly did not open his presents at his camp bed, but moved across the hall to open them with his cousin and sister in the other room. Al, Ben, and Kyra couldn't care less however as they opened presents, exchanged compliments laced with envy, and excitedly anticipated the next unwrapped parcel. So far, Al had gotten a large box of Chocolate Frogs from his aunt and uncle; from Kyra, a book called _Quidditch Quandaries: Greatest Sporting Dilemmas of the Wizarding World _by Ogden Osprey ("Some _really _interesting stuff in there," Kyra assured him. "Like did you know it's illegal for a player during a match to shove a turnip in their ear while singing _Alouette_?"); from Ben, a blank piece of parchment that, when written on, would instantly copy onto a second piece of parchment ("Like Muggle texting," Ben said excitedly. "I've got the other one – this way, we can communicate during class while it looks like we're just taking notes!"); from Lily, a magically singing card covered in stickers; from Rose and Hugo, a fascinating Muggle toy called a Rubik's Cube; from James, a large bag of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans; and from his parents, his very own wizard's chess set.

Needless to say, Al knew this was shaping up to be one amazing Christmas.

~/~

Far too soon, it seemed, night had fallen. The Potters, Weasleys, and Staglovich's had all gathered together for one magnificent Christmas feast, filled with delicious food, friendly conversation, and happy laughter. Now, however, dinner was over, and everyone had gone their separate ways: The adults to the parlor for tea, Lily and Hugo to her room for comparing presents, James to find Matilda in order to send Christmas greetings to his friends, and Ben and Kyra off somewhere no one knew. Al, feeling rather lonely, brought his new wizard's chess set down to the dining room.

Just as Al had finished setting up the final piece, Rose approached.

"Hey. Can I play?"

Al smiled up at her, "Sure. Have you played this game before?"

"Of course I have. Kendall taught me," Rose took the seat opposite Al, a small blush creeping onto her face. "Do you want to start?"

They began to play; Al was having a difficult time getting the players to do what he instructed them to, but luckily they were equally as impertinent to Rose, meaning the progress in the game was rather slow on both sides.

"Y'know, I'm glad I found you," Rose said after a couple minutes, trying to prod a stubborn pawn forward ('_Don't touch me_!' he squealed indignantly.) "I've wanted to talk to you about something all day, but never really had the chance to."

"Oh yeah?" Al directed a rook toward one of Rose's knights, which took some time considering the two-space gap. "What about?"

"Nothing much," Rose watched Al's knight smash her knight to the ground; the black chess piece made a very dramatic show of being dead. "Just something I overheard Ben and Kyra talking about with Aunt Ginny and Uncle Harry last night."

Though most of Al's focus was on the game at hand, he couldn't help but feel a small twinge of panic low in his stomach when she said this.

_No… they swore they wouldn't…_

"What were they talking about?" he asked in a would-be casual voice.

"Well, I'm not _entirely _sure," Rose frowned, trying to order her queen to go right instead of left. "But by the way it sounded, you knew something that Aunt Ginny and Uncle Harry didn't want you to know…"

She tried once again to move her chess piece over so as to capture one of Al's knights, but Al hardly cared – he was now sitting frozen in his seat, staring at Rose, hardly believing what he heard…

"… And Ben and Kyra told them that you _did_ know, so it all sort of ended up to be nothing," Rose finished, shrugging. "Yes!" her queen had successfully taken his knight, smashing it to the ground. "That's one point for me, finally… your turn Al."

But Albus didn't hear her as he got up from the table and left without a word.

* * *

**A/N: Oh, these cliffhanger endings! I can't seem to quit them, cursed things!**

**I made up Ben's gift of texting parchment, and now I seriously want one…**

**Please review!**


	15. Chapter 15

**Dobbythefreeelf3333: **Why thank you :) Such lovely compliments from such lovely readers as yourself are most definitely appreciated! I hope you like this next chapter!

**Lily F. Lux: **I know, I know – I'm sorry! I can't tell you when I'll get to the juicy bits, or else it will ruin the rest of the story… but hopefully this next chapter will satisfy your cravings! :)

**Hanalei: **Yes, it's complicated… but you can't help who you love, can you? Haha thanks again! I hope you enjoy this next chapter.

**dreamstar potter: **Haha yes they are indeed! _What will happen in this next chapter? _(dun dun DUNNNN!) :D

* * *

**Wednesday**

**December 25****th**

**9:13 p.m. – Peridot Manor**

"What was that?"

"Sorry, that was me. It's really cramped in here."

"No, I felt something else… are those spiders?"

"Yes, Kyra. They're spiders that will come out and eat you in your sleep."

"Okay, so not funny…"

Ben and Kyra had slipped away after Christmas dinner in order to have a private conversation about Al and, fearful of being overheard, Ben had decided to use an old musty broom cupboard near the attic to hold their little chat. Only a single dusty lightbulb hanging over their heads lit the small closet space that barely had enough room to hold one person, let alone two.

"Can you stop fidgeting? We really need to talk about this situation with Al…"

"I think something just bit me."

"I'm serious, Kyra," Ben scowled. "Thanks to you, we ended up telling Al's parents exactly what Al didn't want them to know and basically sealing our fates as the worst best friends in all of history!"

"Well, don't you think I feel bad enough without you reminding me?" Kyra snapped. "I know this is bad, but maybe it's for the best… Mr. and Mrs. Potter might go and talk to Al about it and clear the air and then everything will be fine!"

"Yeah," Ben rolled his eyes. "And maybe fairies and pixie dust will kill a chimaera… Al will _know _we told his parents if they try to talk to him, Kyra!"

"Maybe we could ask Mr. and Mrs. Potter to lie for us and say they found out some other way…"

"So is that what we're going to do? Keep lying to our best friend and hope he never finds out?" Ben said angrily. "Where does it end?"

"Well, why are we even having this conversation if you're going to shoot down everything I –?" Kyra began heatedly, but was interrupted by someone opening the door to the broom closet.

"Al?"

Rose stood on the threshold, her eyes wide as she surveyed the scene in front of her. "Oh, sorry… what are you two doing in there?"

Ben and Kyra glanced at each other, apparently noticing for the first time how close together they were standing.

"Oh, er… no reason," Both children pushed themselves hastily out of the small closet space and stumbled into the corridor, away from each other.

"What are _you_ doing here?" Kyra directed at Rose, brushing herself off. Ben saw her discretely check her skin for spider bites.

"I'm looking for Al – we were playing chess a few minutes ago when he just got up and left. I think he's angry at me," Rose looked rather concerned. "Have you seen him at all?"

"No, we haven't. Sorry," Ben said. Rose sighed dejectedly.

"Wait, why did he leave?" Kyra frowned.

"I don't know. I mentioned I heard you two talking to his parents last night and he just got up and walked away."

Ben and Kyra froze, staring at her.

"You said what?" they asked together, horrorstruck.

Rose looked slightly annoyed. "I told him I overheard you two talking about him to my aunt and uncle, and I don't understand why everyone thinks it's such a big –"

But Kyra and Ben weren't listening: they had turned around and began to run swiftly down the corridor. In the blink of an eye, they were gone.

Rose huffed. "Well, _that's_ nice," she said to no one in particular, turning on her heel and marching away in the other direction.

~/~

Down in the parlor, Ginny and Harry were talking together in low voices, away from the others. The Weasleys and Mallory were forced to chat among themselves over tea, and though they enjoyed each other's company, the fact that their hosts were deliberately ignoring them seemed very strange.

"Wonder what's up," Ron frowned over at the two during a lull in the conversation. "I didn't realize we were boring them so much."

"Don't be ridiculous, Ron – it's obviously something else," Hermione said, glancing uneasily over at them too. "But I hope everything's okay…"

"They were like this yesterday too," Mallory clutched her mug of tea in both hands. "I had asked Ginny if there was anything I could do, but she just sort of brushed me off."

"I'm sure she didn't mean to upset you," Hermione said kindly to Mallory, who smiled back tremulously.

Outside the parlor, there were the sounds of pounding footsteps and hurried voices getting closer – suddenly, the door burst open, and Ben and Kyra tumbled in.

"Mr. Potter – Mrs. Potter!" Ben panted, looking harried. Kyra's face was flushed, her eyes wide with anxiety.

"Good Lord, what's the matter?" Ginny jumped to her feet, wide-eyed. Mallory hurried to her son's side.

"Has Rose spoken to you yet?" Ben asked her hastily, ignoring his mother.

"No – why? What's happened?" Harry asked quickly, getting to his feet as well.

"Rose overheard all of us talking last night, and apparently she went and told Al about it a just few minutes ago…"

"And now Al's missing, and we can't find him anywhere!" Kyra finished, looking intensely worried.

Ginny gasped, staring at the two children, horrified.

"Wait – what's going on?" Ron insisted, getting to his feet. "What's our daughter done?"

No one answered him, and Harry asked Kyra and Ben very seriously: "What exactly did she say?"

"Not much… from the sound of it, she and Al were playing chess and talking when she told him she overheard all of us talking about Al and the stuff he found out about Lord Voldemort –" Kyra began.

At this, Hermione gasped, Mallory looked appalled, and Ron flinched violently. All the adults save Harry and Ginny were now staring at the two children, horrorstruck.

Harry quickly turned to Ron and Hermione: "Guys, I'm so sorry… I didn't realize Rose –"

"What did you say to our daughter?" Hermione rounded on Harry and Ginny. Ron just stood there, looking stunned.

"We didn't say anything. Honestly, Hermione…!" Ginny began hurriedly.

"Then why is she running around rambling about Voldemort!?" Hermione yelled, and Ron flinched again.

"Don't say the name…" he mumbled to his wife, but Hermione ignored him, glaring angrily at Harry and Ginny.

"What is going on?" Mallory looked almost scared as her eyes skated around the room. She was twisting her hands together nervously, and Ben glared over at the Potters and Mrs. Weasley for upsetting his mother.

"Can we please just stop arguing and try to find Al?" Kyra said quickly, before Ben could start to yell. "Something bad could have happened to him by now!"

"Oh… yes – yes, of course," Hermione seemed to come to herself a bit, glancing over at Mallory. "Yes. Let's go."

~/~

The adults, Ben, Kyra, and Rose all split up in a search for Albus. They looked for him all over the house, but couldn't seem to find him anywhere. They looked in his room, in the attic, in the basement, and even in the backyard, but still no one could find him. All of them were extremely worried –where could he have gone off to? He must have been really upset, or else he wouldn't have disappeared to where no one could find him.

~/~

The only one not joining in the search was Lily, whom Ginny had sent to bed a half hour ago. Lily, however, was apparently wide awake as she opened her bedroom door just a crack, watching Mallory and her Aunt Hermione striding quietly down the corridor and looking in the surrounding rooms. As they finally turned a corner, Lily closed the door with a silent click.

"Okay, the coast is clear."

A lamp flicked on, showing Al sitting against the wall near the back corner of his sister's room.

* * *

**A/N: I'm sorry for the slight delay guys, and I'm also sorry to say that this may be my last update in a long time :( I'm leaving for college in a few days, so life is going to get very hectic very fast for me. Unfortunately, this story will have to be put on the backburner. I hope you guys will understand.**

**I promise that I will try to complete this story when I find the time. **

**So until next time… please review!**


	16. Chapter 16

**Linda the Whitchling: **Or should I say **RoseQuarts1**? Haha anyway thanks for taking the time to review – here's the next chapter!

**Bellatrixie: **Thanks! I realize some people like to think that (which is totally fine), but I personally believe that Harry and Ginny did NOT tell their children about Voldemort. Also I think it's a lot more in-character of Harry to be modest about his victory over Voldemort rather than brag to his children about it haha. Anyway, thanks again for the review :)

**Dobbythefreeelf3333: **No! I knew you'd hate it! *hits head against wall* stupid, stupid!… XD haha I kid – thanks for the review. Here's the next update (finally)…!

**Hanalei: **Thank you so much! Come on, it's Hermione we're talking about… she's always agitated about something!;) haha here's the next chapter!

* * *

**Wednesday**

**December 25****th**

**10:42 p.m. – Peridot Manor (Lily's Room)**

"D'you want to play a game?"

"No."

"D'you want to draw a picture?"

"No. You go ahead."

"Come on, Al," Lily pouted, looking down at her big brother sitting on the floor against her bedroom wall. "Why are you even in here?"

"So no one can find me," Al fiddled unenthusiastically with the cuff of his sleeve.

"Why?"

Al didn't respond. After a moment, Lily sighed, and moved over toward the bed, plopping herself down on it.

"Well I don't want to just sit here in boring silence… Mum and Dad think that I'm asleep right now."

"Exactly," Al muttered, but quietly so his sister didn't hear.

They were silent for several moments. Lily sat cross-legged on her bed, toying with the corner of her comforter, while Al merely gazed off into space. Lily suddenly turned toward her brother: "Hey, d'you want me to call up Hugo?"

Al frowned at her, "Hugo's not here."

Lily grinned, and quickly leapt up from bed. Al stared at her.

"What're you –?"

"Shh," Lily shushed, moving swiftly over toward an air vent at the base of the wall. She knelt down before it, and said in a loud whisper: "_Hugo, are you there_?_"_

After a second, the response came: "_Yeah_!"

"_Come up here – I've got something to show you_."

"_I'm on my way_!"

Lily looked over at Al, and giggled. Al stared at her incredulously.

"So _you're_ the voice I always hear through the air vents at night!"

She laughed again. "He stays over about once a week and hides out in the cellar. Mum and Dad don't know, and no one else goes down there anyway…"

Al stared at her, amused. "…And so you guys have sleepovers every week?"

"Just about. I sometimes go over to his house and hide out there. Its loads of fun," Lily grinned. "But don't go telling anyone about it – it's our secret."

"Don't worry, I won't tell," Al looked away, his smile fading slightly. After what he had discovered tonight from Rose, he had no problem repaying a favor for someone who had shown him even a little compassion.

The two waited for several minutes, not speaking a word, until they heard a light series of knocks on the door.

_Tap-tappa tap-tap_

"You two have a secret knock?" Al raised an eyebrow at his sister. She ignored him, and hurried over to open the door a tiny crack.

"Hey."

The door opened wider, and Lily stepped aside. Nobody walked in.

"Where is he?" Al leaned forward, trying to see out the door. No one stood on the threshold.

"I'm right here," a voice to his left said. Al turned, and jumped when he saw Hugo suddenly appear in front of him, whipping something off his shoulders with one quick swoosh.

"Merlin's beard!"

Hugo laughed, "Hey Al! Lily told you 'bout our little arrangement, then?"

Al was speechless, and the two children giggled again. Hugo moved over to sit on Lily's bed, setting a rucksack and the silvery cloak down beside him.

"So what's up with all the grown-ups tonight, Lily? I could barely make it up the stairs – Dad and Aunt Ginny are dashing up and down it like mad."

"They're looking for Al. But they don't know he's in here," Lily explained, closing the door behind him.

"What is that?" Al asked Hugo, pointing to the cloak at his side.

"Invisibility Cloak. Found it in a box down in your cellar… how else d'you think I can sneak up here every week?"

Al shook his head, feeling that nothing could surprise him now. "If your parents ever found out about this…"

"I'd never hear the end of it," Hugo agreed. "But frankly, what's life without a little fun?"

Lily snickered, and Al couldn't help but smile amusedly. "You take after James more than you know."

"Nuh-uh!" Hugo said, mock-offended. Lily began to giggle again, but quickly stopped when she heard voices talking outside the bedroom door:

"Ron and I just looked in the drawing room – have you checked the attic?" Ginny's voice sounded hushed and worried.

"Yes, and all the bathrooms… where else could he have gone?"

"Ron said he and Hermione are going back to their house to check if he had hidden out there. If he's not at the Weasley's, then they'll check out Ted's place, then the Burrow, then the Longbottom's…"

Ginny trailed off, and there was a short pause. Al listened intently with a twisted feeling in his gut.

"He must be really upset," Harry said quietly, and Al's heart pounded. Lily and Hugo glanced over at him.

"I know," Ginny said in a small voice. "I feel awful… I wish he would just come back and let us explain."

"He's growing up, Ginny. He's supposed to be cross at us," Harry said, a hint of sadness in his voice. Ginny didn't answer, and so Harry said, more reassuring: "We'll find him again, sweetheart. Don't worry… it'll all be okay. I promise."

They heard Ginny sigh in response, and the two of them moved away down the corridor; in a matter of seconds, everything was silent.

Hugo and Lily looked at Albus once again.

"What'd you do, Al?" Lily asked in a hushed voice, looking concerned. Al didn't meet her eyes, instead staring intently down at his hands.

"_I_ didn't do anything," he said quietly, but defiantly all the same. "I found out something that Mum and Dad should've told me a long time ago, and they lied to me about it… So it's their fault," Al looked up at his sister and cousin. "Not mine. End of story."

"What did you find out?" Hugo asked immediately, while Lily gazed imploringly at her brother. Al scowled, and didn't answer.

"C'mon Al, what did you find out?" Lily pressed.

"It's a secret, okay?"

"Come on – you can tell us!" Hugo insisted.

"No, I can't…"

"_I _told you about the sleepovers Hugo and I have," Lily reminded him, crossing her arms and smirking.

"Yeah, and if you want that to stay a secret, I suggest you stop asking questions!" Al snapped back, which wiped the grin off his sister's face.

Silence reigned for several agonizing seconds. Hugo was staring at Al, who looked away. He regretted saying anything, for Lily was gazing down at her lap, as if about to cry.

"Lily…" Al began after a moment, feeling bad. She shook her head, still looking down.

"It's okay…"

"I'm not mad at you, I promise," Al said imploringly, and Lily looked up. "It's just this whole situation with Mum and Dad, that's all."

Lily nodded, managing a small smile. Al smiled back reassuringly.

"If you're feeling sad, then you should go out and talk to your parents," Hugo muttered, and Al looked over at him, his smile fading.

"I've got nothing to say to them," he insisted, though with little conviction in his voice. Hugo and Lily glanced at each other.

"I think you should go talk to Mum and Dad too," Lily said, turning back to look at her brother. "They're still out looking for you… remember how worried they got when Rose and I decided to run away together last year and didn't come back for nearly two days?"

This earned a laugh from Hugo: "You were at Ted's house the whole time!"

Lily giggled, her cheeks tinged pink, "I know. But still… they were worried sick over us."

Al considered Lily's words. Though it was true that his parents had lied to him about his father's past, they did seem genuinely sorry about it, and were now searching desperately for him in order to apologize. Though Al was upset about this whole situation, he knew he couldn't just hide in his little sister's room and pout – he needed to face his parents, whether sooner or later.

"You're right," Al finally got to his feet. Lily and Hugo looked up at him. "I need to face my problems and stop hiding away… thanks guys."

The two kids grinned at each other as Albus walked over to the bedroom door and paused before reaching out and opening it, stepping out into the world.

* * *

**A/N: Hey guys! Sorry about the long wait – if you haven't heard already, I just left for college and my schedule has been pretty crazy for the last few weeks. Luckily, I have been able to find little moments in my spare time to complete this chapter :) I hope you all liked it.**

**Please review – I would greatly appreciate your feedback! **


	17. Chapter 17

**Herman: **Aw, thanks! I originally wanted to complete this story in about 25 chapters, though I'm thinking it will probably only be about 21 or 22. I really have no formal layout of this story, so it would be difficult for me to say exactly how many chapters are left.

**Dobbythefreeelf3333: **Why thank you! :) lol here's the new chapter.

**Lily F. Lux: **You're welcome :) And don't worry – this story is distracting me from my homework too haha. Thanks again, and I hope you like this new chapter!

**Hanalei: **It's nice to know I have some people who haven't given up on me yet :) lol thanks Hanalei! Here's the next update!

* * *

**Wednesday**

**December 25****th**

**11:03 p.m. – Peridot Manor**

"Have you looked in the garden?"

"Yep."

"That closet just outside the parlor?"

"Yes, Ben. I told you I did five minutes ago…"

"Just checking. Okay, what about his parents' bedroom?"

"Er, _you_ were just there… honestly, where is your head tonight?"

"Well, I'm sorry – I'm just really worried about Al!"

"I am too, but at least my memory can last longer than a flobberworm's!"

"Will you two stop it already?" Rose snapped just as Ben opened his mouth to retaliate. "This isn't productive!"

"Yeah, _Ben_," Kyra snipped, and Ben glared at her.

"Shut it, Four-Eyes!"

"Make me!"

"Ugh… until you two decide to grow up, I'll be looking for Al upstairs," Rose rolled her eyes, and she stalked away. Ben and Kyra watched her leave.

"What's her problem?"

Ben shrugged.

The two children were standing in the main foyer of Peridot Manor, having just spent the last hour scouring the house for any sign of Al. After having no luck finding him, they had decided to just wait for the adults to finish up their search and bring news.

"…D'you think they'll find him?" Kyra asked after a moment, looking suddenly serious.

Ben sighed, "I really hope so."

"He knows I told his parents about what he figured out about them," Kyra said dejectedly, looking down. "He knows I ratted him out. I don't blame him for running off…"

"Stop it," Ben said firmly. "They'll find him. I know they will… and everything will be alright again. Okay?"

Kyra glanced up at Ben, who gave her a reassuring grin. She smiled weakly back.

"I mean, I just don't want Al to stop talking to me," she went on. "You and him are… well…" she faltered, and glanced away awkwardly. Ben raised his eyebrows. "…You guys are, like, the best friends I've ever had…"

Kyra went red at this confession, and Ben grinned maliciously at her discomfort.

"What was that?"

Kyra ducked her head, "Nothing…"

"…Are you going _soft_, Kyra?"

Kyra glared at him, her cheeks still tinged bright pink. "No…!"

"Yeah, you are – you're a big softie!" Ben's eyes widened. "Admit it, Kyra: you _love _us!"

"Shut up, Staglovich!"

"Do you want me to give you a hug?"

"I said _shut up_…!"

Ben smirked. "Or what?"

Kyra opened her mouth angrily to answer, but stopped herself. She seemed to spot something behind Ben – her mouth gaped, and eyes widened in surprise.

"Al!"

Ben whipped around, and sure enough – Al stood at the base of the stairs leading to the second floor. His hand rested on the railing, and he was looking at Kyra and Ben.

"Hey guys."

There was a pause.

"…Al," Ben took a step toward his friend, staring up at him. "You're still here!"

Al took his hand off the railing, "Yeah."

There was an awkward silence. Kyra and Ben watched their friend apprehensively – he had shoved his hands in his pockets, and turned his gaze away from his friends. Kyra and Ben glanced at each other.

After several moments where no one knew what to say, Al finally spoke up: "So… where is everyone?"

"Rose went to look for you upstairs, and your parents were going to go look for you at your cousin's house," Kyra said immediately. "They were just about to leave."

Al nodded, but didn't say anything else. Kyra and Ben glanced at each other again, unsure of what to say.

"And you're not going with them?" Al asked after a few moments. The two stared at him.

"Er… no, we thought we'd wait here," Ben looked at Kyra uncertainly. She bit her lip.

Al raised his eyebrows, "Oh, well, that's a bit odd… seeing as you and my parents are so close, I'd think you'd want to spend every moment together. I mean, you guys do tell them _everything_…"

What Kyra and Ben had been dreading finally came into light; they're faces burned with discomfort. Al watched them, his expression stony.

"Look, Al…" Kyra finally said, breaking the unbearable silence. "I don't know what Rose told you, exactly, but –"

"She told me enough," Al said sharply, and Kyra quieted. "She said that she overheard you two talking to my parents… that you told them what I specifically asked you _not_ to tell them!"

"I know this looks bad…" Ben began, but was interrupted by Al once again.

"There was a reason why I didn't want them to know," he stalked toward the two, glaring from one guilty face to the other. He stopped directly in front of them, and Ben and Kyra tensed. "Or was that fact lost on you guys?"

There was a short silence when Al suddenly asked, crossing his arms: "So which one of you was it?"

Ben and Kyra froze for a moment, staring at him with wide eyes. "What?"

Al's glower deepened, "Rose said it was one of you two – so which one of you told them in the first place?"

"Does it really matter?" Ben looked annoyed. "Look – both of us screwed up, so both of us should be getting the blame."

"Yes, it matters," Al snapped. "You guys are supposed to be my friends!"

"Al, we're sorry," Kyra insisted, looking close to tears. "It was an accident, we swear…!"

"She's telling the truth, Al," Ben maintained when his friend still looked skeptical. "You have to believe us…"

Before Al could answer however, there was the sound of quick footsteps and hurried voices behind a side door leading to a second corridor. It opened, and Ron appeared, his head turned so he was looking back toward where he had come: "Harry! Ted just messaged me – Hugo's gone missing too! He can't find him!"

"You're kidding!" Harry shouted from beyond the door.

"I'm gonna get Hermione. Maybe he's with Al, we can track them both down and –" Ron stopped talking when he turned around, and noticed the three children standing on the threshold. He froze.

"Al!" he took a step toward them, looking stunned. "There you are! We've been looking all over for you – where have you been?" He didn't wait for an answer as he quickly shouted over his shoulder: "HARRY! I FOUND AL! HE'S OVER HERE!"

Pounding footsteps followed this, louder and more urgent than before. The door burst open again, and Harry appeared, followed closely by Ginny and Mallory.

"Al!"

In moments, the adults converged on him, and everything soon became a confused jumble of frantic hugging and exclamations of relief. Kyra and Ben were also swept up in the mass pile, and for several seconds were trapped in Al's many-armed hug:

"Al – we're so sorry!"

"I know you must be upset…"

"…We've been so worried!"

Al, who hadn't said a word since his parents appeared, said to his uncle: "Hugo's here too – I saw him upstairs in Lily's room."

More exchanges of relief and joy at finding yet another child followed this news. Ron looked happier than anyone else, and immediately ran out of the room to go find his son. Mallory looked positively faint with relief; tears glistened in her eyes, and a quivering hand moved to cover her wide smile. Ben moved over to place an arm around her shoulders. Kyra kept glancing between Al and Mr. Potter, as if unsure of what was about to proceed. Al was avoiding everyone's gaze, especially his father's.

"Why don't we get you a nice cup of tea, dear," Ginny said kindly to Mallory, who nodded gratefully. Ginny gave Al one last smile before escorting Mallory toward the kitchen door, followed closely by Ben. Kyra was now left alone with Harry and Al; she looked fretfully uncomfortable as she gazed between the two. An awkward silence reigned for several agonizing seconds…

"Kyra, could come in here for a minute?" Ben called down the hallway, and Kyra looked supremely relieved.

"Coming!" She cast an anxious glance over at her best friend, who avoided her eyes, before hurrying toward the kitchen after Ben.

Neither Harry nor Al spoke for several moments. Al seemed in no hurry to look at his father, instead staring determinedly down at his shoes; Harry, however, seemed unable to look anywhere but his son.

"Al," Harry finally said quietly. Al hesitated, but finally looked begrudgingly up at his father. Harry looked resignedly into his son's eyes.

"I think we need to talk."

* * *

**A/N: I'm so so sorry about the delay, guys! Seriously, time gets away from you during college. I promise, it won't happen again…**

**For any reviewers still out there, please review! :)**


	18. Chapter 18

**Colette Amelia: **Have I ever told you that I love your username? :) It's so pretty! haha anyway thanks for the review – I hope you haven't been waiting too long for this update!

**RoseQuartz1: **Thanks! Hope you like this next chapter! :)

**Lily F. Lux: **Haha it's okay I do that all the time :) Here's the next update for you!

**Hanalei: **Yes, poor Al, I agree :( Hopefully you enjoy this next chapter! (And get back to studying! Those good grades aren't gonna make themselves!:P)

* * *

**Wednesday**

**December 25****th**

**11:13 p.m. – Peridot Manor**

Harry walked slowly over to the staircase, and set himself down on the bottom step. He looked exhausted; the night's events clearly had taken a toll on him. He sighed, running a tired hand through his black hair. Al watched his father, his hands once again shoved into his pockets.

After a moment, Harry finally said quietly: "So… you know."

It wasn't a question: rather, a resigned statement. Harry glanced up at his son, who nodded.

"History of Magic," Al explained, and his father listened. "Professor Binns was teaching us about Dark wizards, and Lord Voldemort was mentioned… and then your name came up, too."

Harry nodded to show he understood: no one was at fault. There was a short pause.

"Al, I really wanted to tell you," Harry said in a low voice, and Al looked at him, "I swear, I did… but your mother and I had told James when he was your age, and he didn't react well, so we thought, in your case, we needed to wait…" Harry shook his head. "I keep forgetting how little like your brother you really are…" He turned away from his son. Al, however, stared at his father with wide shocked eyes.

"Wait – James knows?" he asked, taken aback. Harry nodded.

"Yes… we asked him not to tell you and Lily after we told him, and he's kept his word so far."

Al was silent. This news surprised him… but weirdly enough, it made him feel a whole lot better. No longer was he carrying the weight of this massive secret on his own shoulders – his brother knew too! The fact that his parents had told James themselves was comforting as well, for it proved they _did_ care enough their children to tell the truth, at least to one of them. For the first time in what felt like forever, Al felt relieved about this whole situation.

Albus was grinning, and Harry noticed.

"What is it?"

The boy shook his head: "Nothing… it's just – I wasn't expecting you to say that."

Harry, perplexed, could only stare at his son.

~/~

"Can you hear anything?"

"I think Mr. Potter is saying something… hold on…"

"You're terrible at this – move over, let me listen…"

"You wish, pretty-boy – I was here first!"

"Stop it, you two. It's rude to eavesdrop," Mallory insisted, walking up toward her son and Kyra. Both children were trying to listen at the door, but were arguing with each other too much for them to hear anything.

Neither child listened, so Mallory and Ginny moved forward and pulled them resolutely away from the door.

"Mum, come _on_! Can we please just try to hear what they're talking about?" Ben whined, he and Kyra trying to pull back.

"No," Mallory said firmly, and the children slumped their shoulders dejectedly.

"Come over here and help us with the tea," Ginny insisted, and the two kids had no choice but to follow her and Mallory away from the door.

~/~

"I think I overreacted a bit," Al admitted, fiddling with the cuff of his sleeve. He was now sitting on the bottom step beside his father, feeling much more at ease to talk about his feelings. "I was just surprised, I guess… I had no reason to be as mad as I was."

"You didn't overreact," Harry looked over at his son. "…But that is very mature of you to admit."

Albus glanced up at his father, his lips pressed together, and Harry smiled back, a comfortable silence stretching between the two of them.

"So…" Al looked back down at his hands, a corner of his mouth turning up. "You defeated an insane, evil Dark wizard when you were just a baby?"

Harry laughed, "You make it sound much cooler than it actually was."

"But… is it really true? Al glanced up at his father, and Harry looked amusingly down at his son before finally answering.

"…Yes. I suppose it is."

~/~

"Create a diversion," Kyra muttered out of the corner of her mouth to Ben. Both were standing together at the table, arranging tea biscuits on a small plate.

"Me? Why can't _you_ do something?" Ben hissed, glancing around nervously to make sure Mrs. Potter wasn't listening.

"I can sneak past them quieter than you to get to the door – you sound like Hagrid when you walk, for Merlin's sake."

"Oh, shut up, I'm not _that_ loud…"

"What was that, Ben?" Mallory turned around: she and Ginny were standing at the stove, pouring the tea.

"Nothing, Mum," Ben said quickly, scowling at Kyra's superior smirk.

"…Fine, I'll make a distraction for you. But try not to get caught, alright?" Ben hissed, barely moving his lips, and Kyra nodded once. Ben glanced over his shoulder before picking up the plate of biscuits. He carried it carefully over toward his mother and Ginny…

"Hey, Mum we finished the –"

CRASH!

"Oh, no!" Ben jumped back as the plate fell to the ground and shattered everywhere. Ginny and Mallory whipped around. "I'm so sorry, it was an accident!"

In all the confusion of Mallory assuring her son that it was okay, Ginny hurrying toward the cupboard to find the dustpan, and Ben loudly insisting on cleaning up the mess himself, no one noticed Kyra slip away from the scene. Reaching the door, she opened it a fraction, glanced over her shoulder, and slid through it as easily as a ghost.

~/~

Kyra crept a couple steps down the corridor until she heard voices. She stopped, and moved into the shadows, listening intently.

"…It's not an easy thing to explain to a kid," Mr. Potter was saying. "All that your aunt and uncle and I had gone through during our years at Hogwarts…" He sighed, "There was a lot of suffering and death of people we loved, Al, and I didn't want to scare you guys with the details… your grandparents, Uncle George's twin brother, Ted's mum and dad…"

"Albus Dumbledore," Al said quietly. There was a short pause, and Kyra glimpsed Mr. Potter bowing his head.

"…Yes. Albus Dumbledore, too."

Silence stretched between them for several moments. Kyra cast an anxious glance over her shoulder.

"…I hope you don't blame your friends for what they told us," Harry suddenly said, and Kyra turned back around, her eyes wide. "It really wasn't their fault."

"They told you," Al said stubbornly. "When I specifically asked them not to –"

"It wasn't on their terms," Harry explained patiently. "Your mother and I wanted answers, and we forced them to talk. If you want to blame anyone, then blame us. Okay?"

Al didn't say anything. He seemed to be mentally debating whether or not he wanted to blame his parents. He remained silent, however, which his father took to be a good sign.

"We love you, son," Harry said quietly, and Kyra listened. "Your mother and I were only trying to protect you. Believe me, the last thing we ever wanted to do was hurt you."

There was a second's pause before the sound of shifting bodies meant Harry and Albus had locked in a father-son embrace. Kyra smiled to herself.

"I'm so sorry. About everything," Harry muttered. "I mean it, Al…"

"It's okay," Al's voice sounded muffled, and Kyra knew he had buried his face in his father's shoulder. "Thanks Dad."

Kyra, still smiling, turned around, and slipped back into the kitchen.

* * *

**A/N: Review, please and thank you!**


	19. Chapter 19

**Hanalei: **Thank you, Hanalei! You've been an awesome reviewer:) Here's the next chapter for you!

**dobbyafreeelf33: **Thank you so much! I admit I had some trouble writing that chapter – I wanted their conversation to be heartfelt but not on the verge of being sappy. I'm glad you liked it, though, that means a lot:) Hope you enjoy this next update.

**Thursday**

**December 26****th**

**9:32 a.m. – Peridot Manor**

* * *

By the next morning, it seemed like everything had finally gone back to normal. Hugo had been caught hiding out in Lily's room by Ron and Hermione, and was forced to come home with them immediately. The Invisibility Cloak he had stolen was folded up and tucked safely down in the cellar where it belonged. Also, Rose, still confused about the whole situation with Al, went to her mother for an explanation. Hermione tactfully handled her queries with delicacy – she and her husband agreed Rose needn't know the whole story quite yet. A brief talk with her mother and a good night's sleep later, Rose seemed perfectly happy once again.

Albus seemed much happier after having spoken with his dad – he had actually gone up to Ben and Kyra right away the next morning, to apologize for his behavior.

"I'm really sorry about last night," he had said to them, looking down. "I never should have –"

He was cut off, however, by Kyra launching herself at him, tackling him in a hug.

"I think she forgives you," Ben laughed, and Al just grinned, hugging her back.

Harry and Ginny, too, seemed much more at ease. Now that Al knew the whole story and had talked it through with his father, there was no need to worry anymore.

"…Until Lily goes to Hogwarts, that is," Ginny joked, and Harry chuckled, shaking his head.

The residents within Peridot Manor all were happy once more, and soon, it seemed the place was shining again as the beautiful, brilliant jewel it truly was.

~/~

Friday dawned a blue, cloudless sky, the sun's brilliance gleaming over the white, untouched snow over acres of land. In light of the happy mood shift that had occurred over the past couple of days, Ginny suggested they all go shopping in Diagon Alley on this beautiful afternoon. Everyone was all for it; even Mallory, who was always so hesitant to go out in public, seemed eager to explore new and fascinating magical places. Soon, it was decided: after lunch, the Potters, Weasleys, and Staglovich's would all pack into two cars and drive to London and the Leaky Cauldron for an all-day shopping trip. The children could hardly wait; all of them talked loudly and excitedly the whole ride there about what they wanted to do once they were in Diagon Alley, and didn't stop even when Harry parked the truck on the street in front of the Leaky Cauldron.

"See Ron anywhere yet?" Harry asked Ginny as they ushered the kids out of the car, but his question was soon answered – a smaller car turned the corner, and pulled up behind the truck. Ron, Hermione, Rose, Ben, and Mallory all stepped out.

"Hey," Ron walked up to Harry's group. "All set?"

"I think so," Harry checked his watch. "Did you want to go in altogether, or –?"

"Mallory!"

Everyone looked around; a man had stepped out of the Leaky Cauldron, facing the group. He was tall, and had no hair except a thick, reddish-grey goatee. He was clad in all black: his jumper, trousers, belt and boots all blended together so well that Al almost didn't notice the wand he held at his side. The forest green cloak he wore matched his dark eyes as they moved between Mallory and Ben, a warm smile stretched across his face. Ben and Mallory, instinctively, it seemed, moved closer together, their eyes never leaving the man.

"Mallory – Benjamin… have you forgotten me already?" the stranger smiled, taking a step forward and holding a hand out to them. Mallory and Ben seemed to tense. "I can't tell you how worried I've been!"

His smile lingered – the effect was rather disconcerting. Harry's eyes moved between the man and Mallory, a crease in his brow.

"Er… I'm sorry, but who are you?" Ginny finally asked, eyeing the man curiously. He looked around, and seemed to just notice the rest of the group. His eyes widened.

"Oh! Pardon me, ma'am, I'm so sorry to intrude," he bowed politely to Ginny. "But you must forgive me, I have not seen my family in a very long time –"

"Stay away from us, Aengus," Mallory suddenly whispered, barely moving her lips. Her hand gripped Ben's shoulder.

"Aengus?" Ginny said urgently, whipping around to look at Mallory, her eyes wide. Kyra gasped; Hermione immediately pulled the young ones a few steps back, away from the scene; Ron and Harry stepped forward, their expressions alert.

The creepy smile never left the man's face, but his eyes grew cold. He lowered his hand. "Come now, Mallory…"

"Don't say her name!" Ben suddenly spat, glaring at the man with a hatred Al had never seen in his friend before. "Don't speak to her! Don't even _look_ at her –!"

"Benjamin," Harry said sternly, still staring into Aengus' face. Ben quieted.

Aengus' eyes lingered on his son for a moment before he turned to look at Harry. "Don't talk to my son like that."

"Well, it seems like your son doesn't want you talking to him at all," Harry said, his face impassive. "Perhaps you should respect that."

All traces of his smile now gone, Aengus stared down at Harry with a sneer. "And who exactly might _you _be?"

Harry's eyes narrowed, and he seemed to exude a sort of power as he looked Aengus Staglovich in the eye and said: "Harry Potter."

Instantly, Aengus froze, shock clearly shown on his features. His eyes flicked up to the scar on his forehead.

"Oh yeah," Ron said, a cold smile turning up on his lips. He crossed his arms. "_That_ Harry Potter."

Aengus looked appalled at his terrible luck of facing the last man on earth he wanted to confront. For a moment, he seemed speechless – but the next moment his eyes darkened, and his mouth turned into a menacing growl. He looked over at Mallory.

"This is who you associate with now, Mallory?" he said in a low voice, his tone dangerous. Mallory recoiled slightly. "_This_ is the scum you have decided run away to? How could you betray me like that?" His voice raised as he spoke, and he practically yelled: "Does our family's honor mean that _little_ to you!?"

"_Honor_?" Mallory suddenly straightened up and took a step forward, glaring at him. "There is nothing honorable about you, Aengus! You abuse our son! You treat me like dirt! You've killed innocent Muggles – and you call that honor!"

Aengus made a sudden move toward her – Harry and Ron immediately seized him by the arms, and tried and push him down as he struggled to get at Mallory.

"_How dare you talk to me like that, you bitch_!" Aengus spat furiously, his expression crazy.

Muggle passerby stared; some hurried away from the scene, afraid. Hermione quickly grabbed Hugo, Lily, and Rose by the hands and rushed them into the car, toward safety. Al grabbed Kyra and pulled her back, but still watched the proceedings with wide eyes. Ben stood in front of his mother, his wand raised and his expression fierce.

"Leave her alone!" he shouted, clutching his wand threateningly.

"Stay out of this, you little brat!" Aengus threw off the two men restraining him, and stood before them all, his fists clenched and his breathing heavy. He pointed at Ben: "You should have stayed at Durmstrang! You could have been a great wizard – but _now _look at you!"

"I'd rather die than go back to Durmstrang!" Ben yelled back.

"You lack what all the greatest wizards had: the motivation for greatness!"

At this, Harry swung forward and grabbed Aengus by the collar. He roughly turned and pushed him against the wall of the Leaky Cauldron, drawing his wand out at the same time. He pushed the tip up against his throat, forcing Aengus to tilt his chin up.

"Harry!" Ginny gasped.

"I've dealt with wizards like you," Harry said in a low voice, his anger evident. "Men like you who don't believe in the existence of good and evil – that there is only power, and those too weak to seek it…"

"How could you –" Aengus began angrily, but Harry dug his wand into his skin, and the man quieted.

"You know who I am," Harry said, quieter still. Aengus was silent. "You know what I've done. I've defeated many wizards before you – I've defeated whole armies. I've ended wars, and I've changed history… you really believe I wouldn't hesitate in ridding the world of a worthless bit of filth like you?"

Aengus still was silent; he seemed too afraid to say another word. Ginny, Ben, Mallory, Al, and Kyra all watched the proceedings, their eyes wide and their hearts pounding.

"Leave Mallory and Ben alone," Harry whispered, his eyes boring into the other man's. "Or you'll have me to answer to. Understand?"

They glared at each other, Harry still pinning him to the wall with his wand. After a moment, though, Harry lessened his grip on Aengus' collar, and lowered his wand. Aengus stood where he was for a second, scowling at Harry, before reluctantly turning and sweeping away, his green cloak billowing in his wake. He didn't even spare another glance at his wife and son.

A shocked silence followed this; no one knew what to say. Mallory knelt down, and she and Ben embraced in relief; Ginny was staring at her husband with wide eyes – Harry still stood facing the wall, wand in hand and his breathing heaviy.

"Mr. Potter?" Kyra said quietly. Everyone turned to look at her, and Kyra's eyes were on Harry:

"Can I just say… that you are probably _the_ coolest person I've met in my entire life?"

* * *

**My goal is to finish this story by the end of November, so hopefully I'll have the rest of the chapters hashed out by then:)**

**Please Review!**


	20. Chapter 20

**Hanalei: **Thank you (as always!) lol I had that chapter planned out for some time – I'm very glad people liked it! Hope you enjoy this next update:)

**Kaylzzie: **Thanks! Lol I love Kyra too:)

**dreamstar potter: **Thanks for the review! Yes, Harry is pretty awesome – was there ever any doubt?:) Hope you enjoy this next chapter!

**Lily F. Lux**: Thank you for the double review! Sorry to hear about your networking problems – price of the technology age, I guess:( Well anyway, I'm glad you enjoyed both of my chapters! I had a little trouble with 18, but the last chapter was a lot of fun to write with Harry's and Aengus' confrontation. And I 100% agree with you – nothing pisses me off more than a Mary Sue! I'm very glad my characters have depth – if you think they are round, then it must be true:) Hm, I'm not sure exactly how many chapters are left in this – I don't have a formal layout or anything, but I'm thinking there will be at least two or three chapters left in this story before I'm officially done.

**Guest: **I have TWO words for you: Thank you!:D

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. Perhaps one day…**

* * *

**Friday**

**December 27****th**

**1:34 p.m.**

"Harry."

Harry turned; Hermione had come back from the car, looking appalled at what had just happened. "Harry, you shouldn't have done that!"

Harry didn't respond; he seemed not to know what to say. He instead looked over at Mallory: "Are you alright?"

Mallory, though obviously shaken, nodded. Ben took her hand.

"We should get back home," Ginny turned toward her husband, who nodded.

"Yeah, we should… I have to tell McGonagall what happened." Harry avoided Hermione's eyes.

Hugo and Lily were peering around from behind Ron's car, where Hermione had hidden them during the fight. Lily's face was contorted in anguish, and Harry moved over to her, kneeling down. She immediately ran out from behind the car and launched herself into her father's arms, bursting into tears.

Ginny looked sadly down at her tearful daughter. "Come, dear… we've had enough excitement for one day."

The parents led their children to their respective cars: Ben still held onto his mother as they moved toward the Weasley's car, and Harry had to carry a distraught Lily into the truck. Rose looked white as a sheet as she climbed into the backseat of her father's car. Only Kyra seemed unperturbed by what had just happened:

"BAM! Straight to the neck!" Kyra mimicked the swift motion of Harry's wand to Aengus' throat and grinned. "Did you see that, Al? Bloody fantastic!"

"Yes, we all saw it, Kyra," Al said wearily as they climbed into the truck.

"That was _so_ cool," Kyra said for the hundredth time, still grinning. "I wish all my Christmas breaks were this exciting…"

Her cheery mood seemed to relax everyone else somewhat as they drove home; Lily, at least, had stopped crying. But the feeling was dampened by Harry's ominous silence – he stared straight ahead as he steered the car, not opening his mouth once. Ginny was very quiet too, and Al did not really know what to say. A small part of him was as thrilled as Kyra to see his dad take on Aengus, but for the most part he felt nervous. He couldn't explain why, but he had a feeling (his parents probably had it too) that that incident could have some serious repercussions.

~/~

They all arrived back at Peridot Manor in near-record time, and the adults seemed to almost rush through the front door and into the main foyer once there.

"Oh," James paused as he was walking down the staircase, staring at them all. "…Hey guys. Back already?"

Rose glanced at her parents, who had hurried away with Harry, Ginny, Ben and Mallory into the parlor. "Erm, yeah. There was a… a problem."

"Problem? Al's dad kicked the crap out of Ben's dad – where's the problem in _that_?" Kyra had walked through the door last with Hugo and Al. "It was beautiful!"

"Wait – _what_?" James' eyes widened, and he hurried down the stairs toward them. "Dad got in a fight?"

"Not really," Al said, "We met Aengus Staglovich outside the Leaky Cauldron, and he and Dad got into an argument."

"– With their wands," Kyra added succinctly. "You should've come shopping with us today James, then you wouldn't have missed out! Oh well… c'mon you two," she turned to Hugo and Lily. "All this excitement's made me hungry. Think we can sneak some Pumpkin Pasties upstairs?"

The children nodded eagerly, and they and Kyra hurried away down the hall toward the kitchen. James turned to his little brother.

"She doesn't seem too shaken up."

Al grimaced, "That's Kyra for you. I once caught her laughing while watcheing one of Hagrid's hippogriffs eat a baby deer."

James shook his head. "Out of all the girlfriends you could've had at Hogwarts, Al, she is by far the weirdest."

"She is not weird, and she is not my girlfriend," Al went red, annoyed at this presumption. James just shrugged.

"– So this Aengus bloke," He suddenly said, looking disinterested. "Who is he exactly?"

Al frowned at him, "We've already told you, he's Ben's dad."

"Yeah, but what's he _done_?" James absently scratched his ear, oblivious to his brother's annoyance. "All I heard is that he abused his wife and kid…"

"And that's not enough for you?" Al scowled, indignant. "What, does he have to be Lord Voldemort in order for you to qualify him as evil enough?"

He had spoken without thinking – James froze with his hand still to his ear, his eyes wide. He stared at his brother as if he had never seen him before, and for a brief moment Al didn't know why James looked so shocked.

"What did you just say?" he asked quietly. Al realized his slip-up, and quickly backtracked.

"Oh, um… nothing…"

"No, you said 'Lord Voldemort'," James frowned. "You definitely said 'Lord Voldemort'…!"

"No I didn't. And keep your voice down," Albus hissed, glancing toward the kitchen door.

"Merlin's beard," James' eyes were suddenly wide as saucers. "Dad told you, didn't he?"

Al hesitated only a moment before sighing, resigned. "…Yes."

James was jubilant; he slapped a hand over his mouth, and his eyes practically bugged out of his head. He seemed to want to laugh with excitement, and Al had to shush him so he wouldn't announce the news to entire house.

"Shut up, will you?" Al whispered, though having an odd urge to grin along with his brother. "It's not that big a deal…"

"I wondered if he was going to tell you," James moved his hand away from his mouth, his eyes shining. "At the beginning of the year, remember? When you asked me about people talking behind your back? I really thought you were gonna figure it out right then! Thank God, right?"

Al remembered the History of Magic lesson. "Thank God."

"It's sort of… _weird_, though," James shook his head, his grin almost skeptical. "The thought of Dad having done all that amazing stuff? It sounds pretty extraordinary, doesn't it?"

"Oh, I dunno…" Al thought of what he had just seen outside the Leaky Cauldron: the way his father's eyes seemed to spark with fire, the way his figure seemed to practically radiate power. "I could see him having done all of that."

Before James could respond, however, there came a loud cry from the parlor. James and Al turned around to face the door.

"What the…?"

The kitchen door opened, and Kyra, Lily, and Hugo rushed in.

"Al? Is everything okay? We heard–"

The sound came again. The five children glanced at each other before turning and running into the parlor.

What Al saw once inside the room made his stomach drop to his feet: Mallory had collapsed to the floor, sobbing uncontrollably, as Ben held her in his arms, stroking her hair soothingly. Ron and Hermione were standing off to the side, staring down at the two; Hermione's eyes glistened with tears, and Ron had put his arm around her. Harry and Ginny were arguing with someone – Albus saw, with a small amount of shock, Professor McGonagall's head sitting squarely in their parlor's fireplace amidst flames, looking adamant.

" – We can still protect her! Defensive spells, Polyjuice Potion, Banishment charms… I'm trained in this field, Minerva!" Harry said forcefully.

"I'm sorry, Potter," McGonagall insisted. "But the Ministry of Magic must take action! The damage done by Staglovich's reappearance is not irreparable, but if you will not let the Aurors do their job –"

"Send them here, then!" Harry shouted, and Al could see his father was legitimately angry for the second time that day. "Send the Aurors here, and they can protect her in this house!"

"Delwyn feels that relocation is the safest option, and I must say I –"

"Oh, to hell with Delwyn!" Harry exploded, and Hugo let out a small gasp. "Mallory's son is here! You think that's it's alright, after all they've been through, to just tear them away from each other again?"

McGonagall gave a sharp exhale through her nose, which Al took to be a sigh of frustration. She stared at Mallory and Ben for a moment before looking back up at Harry, her expression marginally softer than before.

"I will not pretend and say that I am happy about this decision," she said, her tone slightly less severe than usual. "Nor will I say that I believe it is the right one. But Mallory agreed to stay with you for the holidays at her own risk; that if you weren't careful, and if she were to be discovered, those protecting her would have to take immediate action. This is not just for her: this is for the safety of everyone living under your roof…"

"But –"

"No argument, Potter. The decision is final. Mallory will have to be relocated, effective immediately…"

"Please Minerva…!" Ginny begged, but McGonagall overrode her:

"…Representatives from the Ministry shall be arriving at Peridot Manor within the hour to take Mallory to a new location. I suggest she pack quickly."

"You can't do this…!" Harry pleaded. McGonagall looked at him, something close to pity in her expression.

"I'm sorry, Potter. There is nothing else to be done."

With that, McGonagall's head left the fireplace with a small pop. Nobody else spoke following her abrupt departure, and all that could be heard were the racking sobs of Mallory Staglovich, sitting crumpled and defeated upon the parlor floor, clutching onto her son whom, in an hour, she would be forced away from once again.


	21. Chapter 21

**CNGB: **Thank you! Your review just made my day:) I hope you enjoy this next chapter.

**Hanalei: **Thanks for reviewing! Yes, the end was painful for me to write:( but it was necessary. I didn't really mean for James to sound less mature, just that he didn't witness what happened at the Leaky Cauldron, so (like any other twelve-year-old kid, I'm assuming) he didn't really care about it much. But anyways – hope you like this next chapter!

**RoseQuartz1: **Thanks for the review! And yes, I think Kyra would totally be stoked over a fight:)

* * *

**Friday**

**December 27****th**

**2:30 p.m. – Peridot Manor**

It was amazing how quickly the mood within Peridot Manor had shifted during that hour. Hardly anyone spoke; Kyra had finally ceased her excited yammering about the fight and opted for silence. Hugo and Lily played quietly off to the side, neither of them knowing what to say or do, and therefore kept out of the adults' way. The women mostly just cried; Mallory needed nearly a quarter of the hour to recover before she could pull herself together enough to quickly pack the few belongings she had. Ben merely sat in the corner, speaking to no one.

Harry, at the other side of the house, sat alone on the step he and Al had had their talk several nights ago, his elbows resting on his knees and his head down. No one, not even Ginny, knew he was here – and that was fine with him. Like during their years at Hogwarts, he still preferred to be alone when he was feeling upset.

Just as was thinking this, however, a door off to the side opened. Harry looked up, and saw Al standing on the threshold. Neither said anything for a few moments.

"How is she?" Harry finally asked, turning his gaze back to his shoes.

"She's hanging in there," Al walked over and sat down beside his dad. "She's packing right now."

Harry nodded, and silence fell. Al simply watched his father out of the corner of his eye.

After a minute or so, Harry sighed, lifting his head and absently fingering the scar on his forehead. "It's all my fault, Al." he said despondently, moving his hand up to run over his messy hair. He gave a humorless chuckle. "Typical, really… I try to help out a friend, and then…" he trailed off, unable to finish.

"If it wasn't for you, Ben and his mum would probably be dead right now. Or they'd be held captive by Aengus or something," Albus said seriously. "You probably saved their lives."

"Even so, look at what it cost them," Harry still stared at his shoes. "Mallory will probably never see her son again, and that _is_ my fault."

"Stop it, you know that isn't true," Al said firmly. "McGonagall wouldn't let that happen."

"_Professor _McGonagall. And she might, we have no idea what's going to happen…"

"You're right – we _don't_ know," Al affirmed. "Everything could still turn out to be okay, then, right?"

Harry was silent, his manner doubtful. Albus stood up.

"When you feel up to it, you should come into the parlor," he said. "The Auror'll be coming any minute now." Al turned and walked away without a second glance.

Harry's eyes stayed trained to the ground.

~/~

The Auror arrived at Peridot Manor at exactly 3 o'clock. He came by Floo Powder – this was requested by McGonagall, for Mallory still disliked Apparition. However, the young woman looked rightly horrified when she saw the parlor fireplace burst into green flames and the spinning figure of a man appear in the fire before her and the entire room of people.

After a moment, the man stepped out of the hearth: he was of large, muscular build, his hair cut short and as dark as Al's. He was very handsome, his attire being indistinguishable from a Muggle's: a crisp white button-down shirt rolled up to the elbows, dress slacks, and polished shoes. A silver badge was pinned to his breast pocket, and he glanced around the room for a second before smiling. Albus knew instinctively he was a good guy.

"Afternoon, all – so sorry to barge in on you. This is Peridot Manor, correct?" he asked the room at large.

"Yes, it is." Ginny approached the stranger, holding out her hand to shake. "Ginny Potter – pleased to meet you." Al noticed she didn't smile, and her eyes still looked a bit red.

"Richard Merton, Representative of the Auror Department from the Ministry of Magic," Richard shook Ginny's hand and indicated the badge pinned to his shirt. "I'm here to escort Mallory Staglovich…"

"Just 'Mallory', thanks," Mallory said quietly from the corner, and Richard looked over at her. She sat with Ben on one side and a suitcase at her other.

Richard stared at her for a moment before smiling slightly, his handsome features becoming more distinct. "Of course, Mallory."

"Would you…" Ginny cleared her throat, still looking close to tears. "Would you like to stay for tea, Mr. Merton? Or perhaps for dinner?"

"Oh, please call me Richard. And that's very generous of you, Mrs. Potter," Richard said kindly. "But I am on a tight schedule, otherwise I would be delighted…"

"When are you leaving?" Ben asked from his mother's side. He looked pale, and Mallory gently placed her hand on his arm.

"We must leave the premises by quarter after three, and arrive at the predetermined destination no later than three twenty-six. We shall receive instructions from there," Richard said, orders he had clearly learned by heart.

"And where is 'there'?" Ben demanded, getting to his feet. Ginny drew in a breath, and Al stood up too, ready to act if there was trouble. Kyra, James, Ron, and Hermione just watched the proceedings with wide eyes.

Richard looked at Ben for a moment before answering in a kind voice: "That information must remain anonymous, Benjamin, for the safety of everyone in this house –"

"How do you know my name?" Ben shot back angrily, taking an accusing step forward. Richard looked surprised, and Al and Mallory quickly moved to stop him.

"Ben," Mallory grasped her son by the elbows and turned him so he faced her. "Calm yourself. Everything is going to be okay…"

"But he can't even tell me where you're going!" Ben shouted, tears of anger and heartbreak in his eyes. "You're leaving with this stranger… and I can't even know… I can't – he's not… You're going, and…"

He was beginning to ramble; Albus had never seen his friend so distraught. Mallory pulled him into her arms, and Ben's blathering ceased as he broke down and cried into her shoulder.

The rest of the room was silent as they watched the two embrace – no one knew what to say or do. Richard stood a respectful distance from them, his hands folded. Ginny cried silently from beside the fireplace, and James, who was nearby, placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. Kyra stared at her shoes, glancing up occasionally to look at Ben or exchange a solemn glance with Al. Ron and Hermione, who had made their children and Lily stay upstairs, were standing beside the door, their expressions grave. Mallory, to Al's surprise, was the only adult not crying.

The parlor door suddenly opened, and everyone looked up; Ben and Mallory finally broke apart to see who had arrived. Harry stood on the threshold, glancing uncomfortably around at all the faces turned to his. He took a step inside, turned toward Mallory, and cleared his throat slightly:

"Mallory, I…"

Before he could apologize for anything, however, Mallory had gotten to her feet and hurried across the room, throwing her arms around him in an embrace, as if to say thank you. Harry stood there, shocked for a moment, before hugging her back. He smiled lightly as he held her, and Al couldn't help but smile too.

For the next five minutes or so, Mallory moved around the room to say goodbye to everyone; through hugs and tears, everyone said their farewells. Ginny cried possibly the hardest, and Mallory, still refusing to shed any more tears, held her the longest. Finally, after they broke apart, it was time for her to take her leave.

"Say goodbye to Rose, Hugo, and Lily for me," Mallory said to Ginny and Hermione, and, through tears, they nodded.

Mallory looked at Richard, who had been watching her; he nodded and stepped forward, picking up her suitcase. They moved together toward the fireplace, but Mallory suddenly stopped.

"Wait."

The young woman quickly turned and walked over to her son, who was sitting in her vacated seat. Ben watched with bloodshot eyes as she knelt down before him, and pulled something out of her coat pocket.

It was the white flower Lily had given her days ago, as fresh as it had been the day she plucked it from the ground. Mallory handed it to him, and Ben slowly took it, looking from the flower to his mother. She smiled.

"For luck," she whispered, and leaned forward to kiss him on the forehead.

~/~

Richard instructed Mallory on how to travel by Floo powder, and even offered to go first so she could see how it was done. Mallory refused, and therefore Richard helped her step into the fireplace so she could be first to depart. Mallory looked at everyone in the room before she, with trembling fingers, took a pinch of Floo powder and disappeared in a whirl of green flames. Richard said farewell to them all, and even offered a small salute to Harry, before stepping into the fire after Mallory.


	22. Chapter 22

**Hanalei: **Thanks Hanalei! This story will be ending soon, and I'll miss your nice reviews:( Hope you like this next chapter!

**Lilly F. Lux: **I appreciate your criticism, but as I have mentioned several times in previous review responses and author notes, I will be ending this story very soon – in fact the chapter after this one will be the last.

**Will Catch a Grenade 4 TL: **I know:( There's a happy ending for them, I promise!

* * *

**Saturday**

**January 11****th**

**4:43 p.m. – Peridot Manor**

Slowly, over the next two weeks, things at Peridot Manor began to go back to normal. Ben had been sulky for the first couple of days, hardly uttering a word even to Al and Kyra, but he soon became his usual self again – eating with the group at mealtimes and even laughing at some of James' jokes. Al suspected Ben was embarrassed about breaking down and crying in front of everyone, and so Al never brought it up. Kyra didn't mention it either – a huge effort from someone like her, and Al couldn't help but be impressed by her tact.

Harry seemed to recover from the whole ordeal fairly quickly as well – something Hermione at least was relieved about.

"Your uncle and I have seen your father beat himself up much more for much less," she had informed Al. "What he did for your friend's mum was selfless and kind, and he should feel proud."

Albus smiled ironically, "Yeah, I don't think Dad's felt proud about anything he's ever done in his life."

Hermione laughed. "I suppose you're right… but it's never too late to start, I think."

It was true, Al knew his father tended more toward self-deprecation than not: but to think of all his dad had done when he was a student at Hogwarts, and also what he had done for his son's best friend's mother – a woman he hardly knew – and Al couldn't help but be amazed by his modesty. His courage and selflessness went beyond anything Albus imagined, and his respect for the man he had always admired grew even more.

~/~

The next day, the day of departure to King's Cross Station, dawned bright and cold. The sun rose above the frosted treetops surrounding Peridot Manor, with no clouds present to dampen the brilliancy of the early-morning sky. The Potters and Weasleys seemed too distracted to notice this beautiful morning, however, as they rushed to eat breakfast, get dressed, load the car, and finally usher everyone inside in order to get to King's Cross Station before eleven o'clock. Al managed to get a seat near the window, and was able to watch Peridot Manor fade in the distance as they drove away. Two whole months until he would see it again…

They arrived at the train station with thirty minutes to spare, and Harry was able to obtain two trolleys within reasonable time. The group soon arrived at the ticket counter between platforms nine and ten.

"Ginny – you, Al, Ben, James, and Kyra go first," Harry said, glancing around. "The rest of us will follow with the trolleys."

Al followed his mother and the others at a brisk pace toward the barrier and, next moment, found himself standing on Platform Nine and Three-Quarters once again, the scarlet steam engine set on its tracks and ready to go. Students and parents alike hurried here and there across the platform, owls hooting from cages and cats mewling. A whistle sounded somewhere in the distance. Al smiled at the familiar scene.

Harry with the rest of the group appeared behind Al with the luggage. Rose immediately pushed her way past them all to peer over the heads of the vast crowd.

"Do any of you see Kendall around?" She asked anxiously. "He told me he'd be here…"

Kyra very openly rolled her eyes, and Ben elbowed her. Rose didn't notice as she hurried away from the group in order to search for him through the crowd.

"C'mon, you lot. Better go find your seats," Ron said wearily, and he led them all toward the nearest train car.

"Ben," Ginny held Ben back as the others boarded the train. Ben looked to her.

"Yeah?"

Ginny glanced around for a moment before reaching into her coat pocket. "Sorry, I've been trying to find a moment to give this to you all morning, but I haven't had a minute to spare. Here…" she pulled a parchment envelope addressed to 'Ben Staglovich' out of her pocket. Ben's mouth dropped open, speechless.

"Matilda delivered it last night, after you all went to bed," Ginny smiled as Ben slowly took the letter from her. "I knew at once it was from Mallory! I didn't think I should give it to you in front of Al and Kyra, though. I had figured this was most likely something you would want to keep to yourself…"

"Yes," Ben said, finally tearing his eyes away from the letter, looking happier than he had in weeks. "Thank you, Mrs. Potter."

"You're very welcome, dear," Ginny smiled kindly down at him. Ben quickly slipped the envelope into his pocket.

"Oi, Staglovich!"

Ben and Ginny turned to see Kyra poking her head out of the train car door. "Stop talking about your hair with Mrs. Potter and help us! These trunks can't lift themselves, y'know!"

Ben opened his mouth to shout back when Rose suddenly hurried into their midst, looking as if she had been crying.

"Rose, sweetheart!" Ginny, shocked, dashed over to her niece. "What's the matter?"

Rose didn't answer: she launched herself into Ginny's embrace, muffling her sobs into her shoulder. Ben and Kyra stopped to watch.

"What's going on?" Ben glanced at Kyra, who shrugged. Her eyes moved to where Rose had come from, and she froze.

"Whoa."

Ben followed her gaze and realized what she saw: about twenty yards away stood Kendall Dobsen with the Ravenclaw girl he, Ben, was technically seeing. They both were standing close together as they talked, smiling at each other in a clearly affectionate way.

"No way!" Kyra exclaimed, turning to Ben again, appalled. "My brother… with your girlfriend!"

Rose's heartbroken sobs grew louder. Ginny realized what this was about.

"Oh darling, it'll be okay. He's just a boy," she consoled, stroking Rose's hair soothingly and glancing over at Kendall. "I know it hurts right now, but you'll pull through it…"

"I-I know," Rose choked, wiping at her streaming eyes. "It's j-just… I l-liked him…"

"I know dear," Ginny said sympathetically.

"Want me to beat him up for you, Rose?" Kyra rolled up her left sleeve in a threatening manner. "Him and little Miss Flirt?"

"No! No violence," Ginny said immediately, looking taken aback.

"P-please don't, Kyra," Rose hiccupped, managing a small, watery smile for her. "But thanks anyway…"

"Rose!"

The others, having finished packing away the trunks in a compartment, appeared at the train car door. Ron and Hermione hurried over to their crying daughter. "Sweetheart, what is it?"

"A boy," Ginny whispered as they got near. Rose sniffled. "I think she'll be alright, though."

"What's going on?" Al went to his friends' sides, looking concerned. Kyra pointed over at the two lovebirds.

"I told her to stay away from him," She said as Al looked at them in surprise. "Kendall's a nasty little liar. It was only a matter of time before he broke Rose's heart."

"Git," Al scowled in his direction for a moment before glancing at Ben. "That's that Ravenclaw girl you've been seeing, isn't it? I'm sorry, mate…"

Ben shrugged, "It's alright. I didn't really like Jane anyway."

"A girl who'd choose Kendall over _you_, Ben, doesn't deserve the time of day," Kyra said fiercely, crossing her arms. Ben and Al glanced at each other, then at Kyra.

"What was that?"

She looked up at them. "I said that my brother's a git, and any girl stupid enough to choose him is an idiot…"

"No, you said any girl to choose him over ME is an idiot," Ben smirked. "Do you think I'm a catch, Kyra?"

"What? _No_," Kyra scoffed. "I did _not_ say that…"

"Yes you did," Ben's eyes brightened. "Didn't she Al?"

"She did," Al affirmed, grinning at Kyra, who blushed.

"Well… yeah, if – if it were a choice between you and my brother, then…" she stammered, glancing away. "I mean, _obviously_ I'd… I'd choose…"

"Me? Well, it's comforting to know you'd prefer me to your brother," Ben smiled. Kyra looked back up at him. "That's probably the nicest thing you've ever said to me, Kyra."

"Don't get used to it, pretty boy," Kyra sneered before turning around and walking away to join the rest of the group.

Al watched her leave, "Seriously, your guys' relationship cannot be healthy."

Ben laughed, "It's a bit unorthodox, yeah."

"She seems happy that you and that girl broke up though," Al glanced sideways at Ben, who smiled.

"Why?" he looked at Al. "She already knows who I chose."

Al opened his mouth to respond when a loud whistle suddenly sounded, the compartment doors slamming shut one by one.

"Time to go – onto the train, you lot!" Hermione began to chivvy the five eldest children toward the train doors. Lily and Hugo were positively distraught with jealousy.

"Don't worry – you're time will come soon," James knelt down and hugged his crying sister goodbye.

"A year and a half," Hugo pouted, crossing his arms. "That's too long to wait!"

"There's some extra room in my trunk, I think," Kyra suggested.

"No," Ron said firmly when Hugo and Lily looked hopeful. Their faces fell.

"Well, it was wonderful meeting you both," Hermione embraced both Ben and Kyra, who smiled. "Feel free to come by and visit anytime!"

"Yes, please. We'd love to have you again!" Ginny smiled. She looked at Ben, and he grinned back.

"Goodbye," Harry hugged James goodbye and shook hands with both Kyra and Ben, fixing his eyes on the latter. "And I'm sorry, Ben, about everything that happened," He shook his head. "I feel completely responsible."

"Don't," Ben smiled. "You saved my mother's life – what more could I ask for?"

Harry smiled back at Ben for a moment before turning to his youngest son. "Well... have a good term, Al."

Al grinned and suddenly threw his arms around his father's middle. Harry, laughing, hugged him back.

"Bye, Dad."

"Hurry up, now, the train's about to leave," Hermione said, and Al finally let go. He, Ben, Kyra, James, and Rose quickly hopped up onto the train and slammed the compartment door shut behind them.

"Goodbye!" The parents all waved and shouted their farewells toward the train as it slowly pulled out of the station. Their children waved from the windows, their faces eager. Al watched and waved as his father and mother slowly shrunk in the distance. The train then turned a corner, and they disappeared from view.

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**A/N: Thank you all to my lovely readers who have stuck with this story from the beginning – I love you all! I'm planning one more short chapter after this to wrap up everything a little nicer, but until then, please review!**


	23. Chapter 23

**RoseQuartz1: **Enjoy this last chapter!

**Kaylzzie: **I know:) I love them too

**Lily F. Lux: **But of course! Everyone needs a little Ron/Hermione love now and again:) I appreciate you reviewing, even if your taste for this story has gone a little sour. I've had the idea of Ben and Mallory's storyline for quite some time now, and I realize now I probably could have integrated it into the main plot a little better (I'm not a professional writer quite yet! That's what FF is for lol). But anyway, please know that I never intended the Ben/Mallory tangent to take over the story – it was merely a way to emphasize Harry's heroism, and to prove to Al that his father really was as brave as all he had read about.

**Hanalei: **Thanks Hanalei! I'm going to miss this story too:( But thank you so much for sticking with it to the very end!

* * *

**Friday**

**April 6****th**

**6:43 p.m. – Hogwarts Express**

The late afternoon sun glittered over the varied rooftops of London, England, its light casting everything it touched into an orange-gold hue; the air was warm, for Easter was right around the corner. Just outside the city, a small scarlet steam engine chugged its way up along its tracks. Unseen by Muggle passerby, the train wound its way through the city toward Charing Cross Road, about to reach its destination at King's Cross Station.

Inside the train, five children in particular were seated comfortably inside a compartment near the back…

"Stop it, Kyra! Those are _mine_!"

Ben Staglovich tried to snatch back the pieces of parchment in Kyra Dobsen's hand, but she was too quick for him. She held the letters out of his reach, grinning.

"What? You said your mum wrote saying she has a surprise for you – I'm just trying to figure out what it is!" She quickly began to page through Mallory's letters to her son, pretending to read their contents. "Hmm, _fascinating…_"

Ben made a huge lunge for the letters, managing to grab them all while crumpling a few. Kyra just laughed as Ben quickly tried to smooth them out.

"If you don't want her taking them anymore, just put them back in your trunk, mate," Al suggested, glancing up from his game of Exploding Snap with Rose and James.

"Well, I er… erm… my mum _did _say she had a surprise for me, Al," Ben said rather defensively, clutching the letters in his hands. Albus rolled his eyes, turning back to the game at hand.

"What do you think the surprise is?" Rose piped up interestedly. "Perhaps Aengus escaped from Azkaban?"

"No chance. The Aurors from the Ministry caught him like two weeks ago, he hasn't even had a trial yet," Kyra shook her head.

"Yeah, and that would be less of a surprise and more of an extremely unfortunate event," Al said, and Rose grinned.

"Yeah, I s'pose so."

"Maybe your mum doesn't have to live under protection anymore. That'd be pretty good news," James suggested, looking at Ben. He shook his head.

"My mum wrote last week saying Richard was still assigned to her case for six more months. It's the law, like clause seven of the Wizard Protection Act or something…"

"Whatever it is, we'll find out any moment now," Al said, glancing out the window. The station was in sight. "She'll be meeting us at King's Cross when we get off, right Ben?"

"Yeah," Ben grinned, trying but failing to hide his excitement of seeing his mother again after all these months.

The train finally began to slow down as it pulled into King's Cross Station, the sunset still peeking up over the horizon. Movement could be heard throughout the train as students began to unload their trunks and move into the corridors, and the five kids all stood up to do the same.

~/~

Ten minutes later, the train had stopped and the children had managed to drag their trunks out onto the platform. James obtained a trolley and they had just finished loading most of their things onto it when a shout was suddenly heard:

"Al! James!"

They all turned. Ginny pushed through a nearby crowd of people and rushed over to her sons, smiling hugely. She threw her arms around both of them and hugged them tightly.

"Mum, stop it, you're gonna strangle us," James looked uncomfortable, and tried to worm out of her embrace. Al tried to pull away too, and Ginny finally let go.

"I'm sorry. I'm just happy to see you two again," she grinned.

"Mum! Dad!"

Kyra abandoned the group and ran over to a man and woman standing about twenty feet away. The woman's hair was the same shade of blonde as Kyra's, and the man wore square-rimmed glasses too. The couple embraced their daughter when she reached them, smiling from ear to ear, and all three began exchanging proclamations of excited delight.

"Aunt Ginny, where are the others?" Rose asked, glancing nervously over at Kyra's family reunion. Al knew she was thinking about Kendall.

"Over there by the barrier, dear. Follow me," Ginny said, and she led the group of children and the trolley through the crowd toward the others.

"Mallory!" Ginny called as she approached the group, waving. Ben, when he caught a glimpse of his mother, froze. Al saw her too, and stopped in his tracks as well.

The changes that seemed to have taken place in Mallory Staglovich over the past three months made her nearly unrecognizable, Al thought, but in a very good way. Her brown hair, usually flat and untreated, she had styled into fashionable curls; she wore a simple but nice-looking Muggle dress with sandals, and her blue eyes accentuated with mascara. In one hand she held a shopping bag, and her manner suggested she had just had a wonderful day of touring the city. No longer did she have that air of terrified loneliness and fear – she now looked confident and happy as she stood near the barrier, chatting merrily with Harry, Hermione, and the Auror Richard.

The four adults turned at the sound of Ginny's voice. Mallory's whole complexion suddenly lit up, and Al could now definitely see the resemblance between her and her son. She dropped her shopping bag and hurried toward Ben as he ran up to her. They stopped at the middle and simultaneously threw their arms around each other, locking in a sweet embrace. The others watched this tender moment with a smile before reuniting with each other.

"Rose, sweetheart," Hermione moved over to her daughter and the two hugged. "How has school been? Have you been working hard at your studies?"

"Yes, Mum," Rose said, rolling her eyes and smiling.

"Yeah, I bet you've been working _much_ harder now that there's no certain boy around to distract you," Kyra suddenly approached, smirking as Rose's face went red.

"Kyra!" Al moved over toward her, grinning. "I thought you left!"

Ben, noticing Kyra as well, gently detached himself from his mother to move toward his friends.

"My parents and Kendall are in the car with all my things," Kyra grinned. "I just wanted to come over and say goodbye to you guys."

"We're only gone for two weeks," Al laughed, but hugged her goodbye all the same. "Have a good break, Kyra."

"You too, Al," Kyra grinned as they broke apart.

Kyra then looked over at Ben, who looked back at her unsmilingly. Kyra mimicked his serious look, and crossed her arms. Ben did the same. They just stood there, looking at each other, not saying a word and not smiling. Ben's lip suddenly twitched, and Kyra's soon followed. After a moment, small smiles broke out on both their faces, which soon morphed into wide grins. By some unspoken permission, Kyra suddenly leapt into Ben's arms, laughing, and Ben hugged Kyra back; he gripped her tightly on the waist and practically lifted her up off the ground, laughing as well. Al watched the proceedings, amused.

"I don't think I've ever seen you two hug before," he said, chuckling, as they finally broke apart. "It's quite beautiful, really…"

"Oh, shut up," they said together, still with big stupid grins on their faces.

~/~

Mallory's surprise for her son wasn't nearly as exciting as the children had anticipated on the train: it was a new wristwatch, bought from one of shops she had been to that day. The watch was obviously finely made, with gold and brass finishing, and a small green gem on its face. Ben seemed profoundly happy with his gift, and Mallory smiled as she watched him try it on.

All too soon, it seemed, mother and son were saying goodbye to the rest of the group. Mallory and Ginny embraced as they had done last time, though now the tears in Ginny's eyes were of happiness. Harry shook hands with Richard, wishing him luck, while Al and Ben departed with a swift one-armed hug and a promise to write.

The Potters and Weasleys watched as Ben, Mallory, and Richard headed together toward the barrier; Richard had insisted upon carrying Ben's trunk for him to the car. Mallory and Richard were in conversation as they walked – Richard said something to Mallory, and she laughed.

"He likes her," Al heard his mother whisper to Harry. Al looked up at his father in time to see him smile.

"C'mon Rose," Hermione said to her daughter. "We should head out, too. Your father's been watching the little ones all day." Rose nodded, and moved to grab her trunk.

"Thanks again for watching Lily tonight, Hermione," Ginny said gratefully, and Hermione smiled.

"It's not a problem. Ron and I will drop her off tomorrow morning after breakfast."

"Sounds good. Thanks," Harry grinned. The two girls then said goodbye and left through the barrier after Mallory.

James turned to his parents, "Why is Lily staying over at Aunt Hermione's and Uncle Ron's tonight?"

Ginny glanced at her husband, trying to suppress a smile. "Well… your father and I have been talking, and…"

"…And we thought tonight would be a good night for you guys to… hear a story," Harry supplied happily.

Al looked confused, "A story?"

Harry grinned: "_My _story."

Both Al's and James' eyes widened with surprise; they looked at each other. "Are you serious?"

Ginny laughed, "Yes, we are."

"We can finally hear the whole story? From beginning to end?" James asked his father excitedly, and Harry nodded, still smiling.

"From beginning to end."

The four family members talked and joked happily as they moved toward the barrier door, their excited anticipation for the night's expectations evident. Dusk began to settle like a blanket over the entire platform, and Al watched as the last vestiges of sunlight began to disappear from view.

He smiled to himself, and felt that life was good.

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**A/N: Thank you all to my amazingly awesome reviewers for sticking with my story! I hope you all enjoyed it - I certainly did:)**

**Review!**


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